Leaving Home
by SMacked4ever
Summary: A storm is only hours away from the east coast, causing the CSIs to evacuate their home. Will involve crossover with House, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. Read full summary inside! Final Chapter Now Up!
1. The Call

_Hi all! This is my newest story and it will come in three parts. Since I have already written the entire story, it shouldn't take too long to update each chapter. And as I post chapters of this story, I will continue updating both Into the Blaze, which is almost complete, and Come Home._

_Title: Rising Storm, Part One: Leaving Home_

_Rated: K+_

_Summary: A storm is only hours away from the east coast, causing the CSIs to evacuate their home. But that's not the only problem they have to worry about, Lindsay Monroe is also facing a problem that could change her life in an instant. Join the CSI investigators of New York through a journey that will lead them to meeting new friends, discovering secrets, and of course, finding love. Crossover with House, Without a Trace, and Cold Case, eventually in Part Two CSI and CSI: Miami. D/L, SMacked, Huddy, Cameron/Chase, Lilly/Scotty_

Chapter One: The Call

The New York Crime Lab, New York

The rain pounded on the window, making it feel like a thousand arrows were being fired on the New York Crime Lab. The sound was now comforting to her; the weather had been like this for the past week. She was sure of floods in the streets and driving home would be almost impossible now. She might have to stay at work for the whole night, which would be very odd, thinking that she would wake up in her office, already ready for work. But she would miss the comforts of her apartment, as small as it was.

She turned to the opening of the door. "Mac," she called joyfully. "What's up?"

"Nothing really," he replied, coming over to her side. "How's the day going for you Stella?"

"Fine, but I would love to see the sun come out for once this week." Stella sighed and looked out the window. "Flooding must be bad now."

"Yeah, our chances of going home tonight will probably be next to nothing," he explained, looking down to the ground.

"It won't be so bad," Stella reassured him.

"Oh, it's not that," he said. "It's just the weather that's bothering me. We've never seen anything like this before. The Weather Channel says that the storm will pass through, but I really don't believe their judgment."

"Who does?" questioned Stella. The Weather Channel might think they know everything, but judging the fact that the storm hadn't cleared up yet, made them almost unbelievable. The weathermen and women probably didn't even know what they were talking about anymore, just feeding people with information that sounded reassuring. Not that they weren't reliable, but in this weather, Stella didn't know what to believe anymore.

The door to Stella's office opened again, revealing CSI investigator Lindsay Monroe. Stella remembered that she had preformed the song "Some Days" by Regina Spektor only a week ago, and she had been phenomenal. She had sounded almost like Regina herself, and Stella wondered why Lindsay hadn't ever mentioned her talent before. But lately, Lindsay had kept to herself, had been more quiet than usual. She had been keeping in touch with FBI agent Samantha Spade, who was helping her in a way Stella didn't know. At least she hadn't figured out yet.

Stella had never bothered asking why, she thought that it wasn't her business to know. She turned to Lindsay and greeted her with a friendly hug. "Are you wishing for the sun too?"

"And for the rain to go away," she added. "It makes everything so dark and gloomy looking."

Lindsay had changed in many ways. The spark of humor was never in her voice anymore, and she hardly tried to make any jokes. When Stella stared at her face, she could tell Lindsay had been up late the night before and must have been crying some time recently. She missed the old Lindsay, of course, what had made her turn this way? And that dark and gloomy thing, the way she said it sounded as if she was really asking, 'what has made this world so dark and gloomy?'

"Do you have news on a case?" asked Mac, obviously not caring about the way Lindsay was acting.

"No. There's no case at all because of this _horrid_ rain."

_Horrid_, did she really just say _horrid_? Someone needed to take this girl out to get ice cream or something. She needed 'happy' things and not 'dark and gloomy' things.

"So," said Stella, trying to the change the subject. "How about we go watch some TV, a movie, or something like that, since there's nothing to do for work?"

"Oh, there's plenty to do Stella," said Lindsay, her voice filling with concern. "We should start to prepare for this storm, like get food, and the things we need incase the weather gets bad."

What was this girl, her mother or something? Stella was older than Lindsay, and not to mention she was her boss. _Oh, there's plenty to do Stella, yeah, like sit around and talk about how_ _the world hates us?_

"That would be a good idea," agreed Mac.

Stella sighed. "Okay, we'll get some things together and then watch a movie, how about that Lindsay? Does that work for you?" _Ugh, _Stella thought. _That sounded a little rude, especially when Lindsay didn't do anything…_

"That's a good plan; I'm all for it." Lindsay walked out of the office, bringing her world of 'dark and gloomy' with her.

Stella turned to Mac. "Is something wrong with Lindsay that I don't know about? She seems to be so down about everything…"

"No, she's fine," said Mac. "She's probably just recovering from last week."

Stella was still recovering from last week herself. She had been kidnapped, by Luke Mala, Frankie's brother. He wanted to kill her to finish off the job Frankie (Frankie was her ex-boyfriend, now dead boyfriend) had needed to accomplish. What Luke hadn't understood was that Frankie had attacked her, and she had only shot him three times in the chest in self-defense. At first, Luke had thought Stella had tried to kill Frankie, only because she hated him so much. Luke had wanted her to go to jail.

But in the end, Stella and Luke had become friends. She planned to visit him in jail every so month, just to check in on him. It was a funny thought about how her kidnapper who had endangered not only her life, but the life of the people around her, had now become her friend. She was glad to have met Luke, almost glad he had kidnapped her, because he was the only thing that she had that was closest to Frankie. And he was related to him by blood, making it feel as if Frankie were still alive.

And then there was Paige Hobson, a girl Luke had mentioned, but hadn't fully explained who she was. The only thing she knew was that he had worked with her, a few years back. He had told her Paige was missing, and had been missing for three years now. She had also gone missing back in 2005 and had then been found, but after that, no one ever heard of her. Her disappearance intrigued Stella; she wondered what had happened to her.

Stella came back to the world as Mac asked, "Are you coming or are you going to stand there staring out the window for five more hours?"

Stella shook her head and followed Mac out the door. She thought about Paige Hobson, who she was, how her life had been before she went missing, and where she could be now. She wanted so much to know everything about Paige, but at the same time knew that was part of the FBI's job. Maybe she could ask Samantha Spade about Paige, since she was a FBI agent herself. Mac and Stella walked into the break room, followed by Adam Ross, a lab technician.

"Adam, did you follow us the whole way here?" asked Stella.

"Yeah, I've got a weather update for Miss Monroe."

Figures she would send Adam to do that. She obviously cared about the wellbeing of her friends and wanted to make sure they were safe. But rain is just rain. The rain would cause floods, but they were thirty five floors above the ground, surely they would be fine?

"More rain," Adam told Lindsay. "They don't see it clearing up until later tonight."

"Liars," Lindsay said disgustedly. "A butch of people who don't know what they are doing."

Danny Messer walked over to Lindsay's side, welcoming her by giving a friendly hug. "Montana, cheer up. It's not that bad."

"I told you to stop calling me that ridiculous name," Lindsay said crossly. "I don't like you anymore."

The name had never bothered Lindsay that much, only when she first worked here. She had gotten that name from liking the San Francisco 49ers, because there had once been a football player with the name 'Montana' on that team. Coming from Montana also gave her that name.

Lindsay had never been that open about her feelings for Danny. She would have never admitted to liking him, and now she was saying they were over. What had changed Lindsay so much?

"Hey, Lindsay, I've got the food ready, what else do you think we'll need?" asked Don Flack, coming through the door that Lindsay was so closely guarding.

"We'll need sleeping bags, flashlights, batteries, water, plenty of it, and health care supplies," replied Lindsay, looking out the door. "We'll probably need more than that…"

Flack and Stella exchanged worried glances. Why was Lindsay so frightened by this little rain? It wasn't like a hurricane or tornado was heading towards the building at this moment. To be prepared is one thing, but for Lindsay to over stress herself about it, is another. Sheldon Hawkes walked over to Lindsay. "I'll go get one of the CSI emergency kits, that'll cover up health supplies, since we have so many of them."

"Thanks Hawkes," said Lindsay with a sigh.

"We'll have flashlights here already, and plenty of batteries," explained Mac. "We could get more bottled water, though."

Sid Hammerback came through the glass doors and he quickly greeted Lindsay with a smile. "Heard you guys are preparing for a storm," he said. "I thought I could be some help."

"Well, you heard right," said Stella, showing more attitude than anything.

"Do you have sleeping bags?" asked Lindsay. "We'll need at least seven of them, since there are seven of us. And if you have bottled water that would be good."

"I do have sleeping bags at home," replied Sid. "But I don't have seven sleeping bags. I only have three. And for the bottled water, I kind of like to drink Pepsi and I don't buy that much bottled water, so with the whole bottled water thing, I can't help you with."

"Well, can you bring the sleeping bags?" questioned Lindsay. "At least we'd have something to sleep on."

"We have couches here at the lab too you know?" Stella mumbled to herself.

"I can do that. I'll even go out a buy four more sleeping bags and some bottled water, how about that?"

"Oh Sid, that would be great!" exclaimed Lindsay. The excitement in her voice startled Stella, and it was nice to hear. But right after that, Lindsay went back to her concerned, everyone hates us voice. "Now we need a plan, incase our building started to flood…oh, I almost forgot what if the power went out? Shoot, I've forgotten so many things…Flack? Do we have food that can be eaten without being cooked?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure that there's something we can buy that can cook food without power, you know, something portable that runs on batteries," Flack informed her.

"That's right; we'll get one of those things. Sid, do you think you can manage that?" asked Lindsay.

"Yep," Sid quickly answered and then left the break room.

Stella glanced at Mac, who hadn't said much of anything since they had arrived. Then an idea sparked in her mind. "Hey, while Sid is out shopping for our things, how about we watch 'The Day after Tomorrow'?'"

"I don't know," mumbled Lindsay.

"That would be great!" exclaimed Danny. "Perfect timing to watch the movie too, with the weather the way it is."

"Well, I'm in," said Flack.

"What is it that you're in for?" asked Hawkes, as he came through the doorway with the emergency kits.

"Watching 'The Day After Tomorrow'," explained Adam.

"That movie was good. I'll watch it."

"Mac, do you want to join us?" asked Stella.

"Why wouldn't I?" Mac teased. Stella smiled and took that as a yes. She turned to Lindsay, who was still unsure of watching the movie.

"I would love to watch the movie with you, but…" Lindsay paused as her cell phone rang. "…But I have a call to answer. Maybe some other time I'll watch the movie with you." She made her way out of the break room, showing her nervousness as she walked away.

"Does the lab provide us with 'On demand'?'" asked Flack.

"I'm sure it does," said Mac as he sat down at the couch. "Stella, are you going to stand there all day?"

"Um, I've seen the beginning of the movie numerous times before. You can start without me. I need to…"

"You don't have to say another word," said Mac, allowing her to go to the bathroom. But she was not heading there. She wanted to see what Lindsay's phone call had been about. Stella hid behind a wall and put her hair behind her ears so she could hear the conversation.

The cell phone was still ringing, and Lindsay was looking all around her to make sure that no one was watching her. She answered the phone. "Have you figured out who I am?"

_Figure out who she was?_ Stella thought. _What was she talking about?_

On the other end of the phone, Samantha Spade answered, "I'm sorry Paige, I haven't figured out anything about that yet. I've been so busy, working on case and now this storm. We've been preparing all day for the storm and I haven't even been able to sit at my desk to think clearly."

Lindsay slouched down against the wall. "So, nothing has come up?"

"Plenty has come up," Samantha said into the phone, "but nothing on your case." She paused for a moment. "I promised that I would help you. I will figure out if you are Paige Hobson or Lindsay Monroe, but for now, you're just going to have to be patient."

Lindsay nodded and put her hand on her head. Her voice was full of distress as she answered. "So, then how has the day been going for you?"

"Well, the day has been hectic enough," replied Samantha. "I've already explained my day, though. How has it been going for you?"

"Terrible," whispered Lindsay. "With the storm, we haven't been able to work on any of our cases and the day has been nothing but preparation for the storm."

"So it sounds the same as it is here," Samantha concluded. Stella waited as the silence between them became longer. Then the person on the phone must have started speaking again, because Lindsay had raised her head a little, in hope of good news. "Um, Paige, I have to go. Malone just gave me an order."

Lindsay laughed. "Hate when the boss orders you around like that?"

"Yes," agreed Samantha. "I'll talk to you later Paige. Good luck with the storm and everything."

"You too," said Lindsay and with that she hung up. Stella peered around the corner to find Lindsay with her head bent down, hand still clutched tightly around the cell phone. Stella knew that Lindsay had expected something great from the call, something that would help her. It was nice to hear her laugh and make a joke again, but Stella still knew that Lindsay was upset. She decided to leave Lindsay alone, knowing that it would only make things worse to try to comfort her. She wasn't even supposed to know about the phone call, so she quickly made her way back to the break room, hoping no one had seen her listening in to the call.

She still had many questions after listening to that call. Who had Lindsay been talking to on the phone? What had she been expecting from the call? And what did she mean by, 'have you figured out who I am'?

_Dun dun dun… Stella has discovered Lindsay's secret. Will she find out more? Guess we'll have to all be patient and wait to see what comes… next part will be about House, just to let you know_

_Reviews please! Tell me what you think! This will be a long story and I want to know your opinion. Should I continue it?_

_A/N: Is there any way that I could possibly post this story somewhere else on here? For example: I post this story under TV Shows/CSI: NY and then could I also post this story under TV Shows/House? I don't believe you can, though I had thought about posting this story under CSI: NY, House, Cold Case, and Without a Trace. Sorry if my question is too confusing, though I'm pretty sure I can't double post a story._


	2. Hurricane Arthur

_Thank you to iluvcsi4ever, StoryDreamer, Asprine, and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing my story. Glad you're enjoying it! There'll be plenty more to come and I promise to update as soon as possible. And to crazypeoplearemypeople, the story is shared equally between all the shows. But in the end, all questions are answered and out of the shows used in this story, I will not forget about them. _

_As I mentioned in the last chapter, this part will be about House. And if you know Dr. Thirteen's real name, don't reveal the name to others. None of the doctors know her name in the story, but it will be revealed later…_

_Disclaimer: Since I forgot to add a disclaimer in the first chapter, I'll add it now. I do not own any characters from CSI: NY, House, Cold Case, or Without a Trace._

Chapter Two: Hurricane Arthur

Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, New Jersey

Dr. Lisa Cuddy paced back and forth, across her office. The storm was still making its progress, sending floods of water down the streets, and now some of the water had made its way into the hospital. She worried about what to do with all of the patients, even the doctors when the place really started to flood. No one seemed worried about this storm, but she, on the other hand, was more than worried. She had probably made herself worried sick now, and Dr. Gregory House would have to come and revive her. For the pain in the butt he was, he would save her life any day.

She watched the TV as it went through another five minute commercial break. What if people were dying from this storm? What if people needed information on this storm now? Oh, yeah, Head On is going to really help. The commercials they put on TV seem to get more and more useless everyday. Not only did they become more useless, they become dumber, which really doesn't make for a good commercial.

But what did she know? Maybe she didn't have a great sense of humor and didn't understand the commercial. Right now, there was no time to joke around. What she needed was information on the storm.

Warning: Hurricane Arthur is near the Atlantic Coastline and is expected to make landfall in 48 hours. The storm is expected to produce tornados, severe thunderstorms, and major flash flooding. The hurricane is now a Category 3 and is expected to become stronger. Evacuation is mandatory, but if you must stay where you are, board up windows, stock up on food and drinking water, and shelter on highest level of home.

"What if you're not home?" Cuddy questioned the TV. She sighed and sat down on a couch. "What am I going to do?" She looked at her desk and then thought of something.

Dr. Gregory House's Office

"What are we going to do?" exclaimed Dr. Chris Taub.

"We're going to do nothing," said Thirteen. "There's nothing for us to do, so we do nothing."

"House wouldn't say that," said Dr. Lawrence Kutner.

"House would make us do more work and go hide from Cuddy for the day." Thirteen turned to look out the window. "With this rain, we'll be working here forever."

Taub shook his head. "I'm not talking about a patient. I'm talking about this weather."

"Well, we can't change the weather for you I'm sorry," said Thirteen. "But what you can do is shut up for a minute while a read this article."

Taub gave her a disgusted look. "Who reads the newspaper anymore?"

"Who doesn't?" Thirteen retorted.

Taub ignored the comment and went to sit at the table. "Have you seen House today?"

"No," replied Kutner. "He's probably hiding from Cuddy, just like Thirteen said." At the mention of Cuddy's name, she appeared through the doorway. She threw a butch of things on to the table.

"There's a hurricane heading for the east coast," she explained to them. "In forty eight hours, this place will be completely under water. I'm suggesting you leave the state of New Jersey now, to save yourself from becoming victims of the storm."

"That's not possible," remarked Thirteen. "No storm would put the entire state of New Jersey under water."

Cuddy looked at the doctor. She was trying to save her life, and she just denied the fact that Cuddy was right. "If you don't believe me, then you can stay here yourself and observe what happens. But I'm sure you'll be dead before you know what happened."

The doctor didn't respond. She was a real mystery, number thirteen. When House had been hiring new doctors, he had made everything a game. Over time, he was able to narrow down the doctors to Taub, Kutner, and Thirteen. No one knew for sure what Thirteen's real name was, so House had started to call her Thirteen because her number was thirteen during the competition.

She interrupted Cuddy's thoughts. "I'm not leaving the state of New Jersey. I'll help with the preparation of the storm, but no one is going to force me to leave."

"I wasn't forcing anyone to leave," explained Cuddy. "I was trying to save your life."

The door slammed open, revealing House and Dr. Eric Foreman. "What are you guys bickering about now?" House asked, in his usual teasing voice.

"A storm is coming," said Cuddy, turning around to face House. "And if we don't evacuate immediately, we will all be dead."

_So the doctors now know that there's a hurricane coming for the east coast… What will they do about it? Will they make it out of New Jersey in time? Patience is a must for this story, for the next chapter will go back to our friends at the New York Crime Lab… Reviews are appreciated!_

_A/N: My weather knowledge might be off, I don't think a hurricane could actually hit the east coast, but it's called fiction, so anything could happen! And Eddie Cahill and Poppy Montgomery used to be on a show together? I didn't know that…do you happen to know the name of the show? Thanks! :)_


	3. Writing on the Wall

_Thank You! I've been holding on to this story for a while and I didn't know if I should post it when I first got an account. Glad you're finding it interesting! Thank you iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing. (Got to agree, sometimes the weather forecasters are off on their weather knowledge!)_

_To iluvcsi4ever, Cameron and Chase are in the next chapter, along with the other doctors. (So the next chapter will be about House) And I will update soon, as I said, I've already written all three parts of this story. But the answers to your other two questions will be answered as you continue to read on. Sorry to make you wait, but that's what stories do! _

Chapter Three: Writing on the Wall

The New York Crime Lab, New York

"Hurry Stella, you're going to miss the beginning!" exclaimed Flack.

"Didn't I already tell you that I've seen the beginning numerous times before?" questioned Stella, coming to sit down next to Mac.

"We didn't want you to miss anything," explained Flack.

Stella laughed at the concern in his voice. "Oh please, Flack, don't cry already. The movie hasn't started yet."

Flack shot her a disgusted glance. "I wouldn't worry so much about me crying…"

"Yeah, do you really think this movie scares me that much?" questioned Stella.

"It seemed to have scared Lindsay," said Danny. "When Stella mentioned the idea, Lindsay's face was full of shock and she looked so scared!"

Everyone started laughing, it was almost hard not to. Stella didn't laugh; she knew partially why Lindsay had reacted like that. "Danny, that's a little rude. You know Lindsay has been dealing with a lot of stress lately."

"Yeah, well she told me not to call her 'Montana' anymore and even said she didn't like me. She's the one who's being rude to moi."

"Then learn the French language and maybe she'll like you again," said Stella. "You could propose to her in French and she'll be like, 'Oh Danny, how sweet, of course I will marry you'!"

"Could you two be quiet?" asked Hawkes. "I'm trying to watch the movie."

"Yeah Danny, I would like to watch the movie," Stella teased.

"I'm not talking anymore," said Danny and he turned to look at the TV. "But that would be a good idea to propose to her in French…"

Flack whispered to him, "She wouldn't know what you were saying. She might think it was an act and hate you even more."

Danny sighed. "Whatever; just forget the idea then."

Hallway of break room

Lindsay cried again.

For the past week, she would cry herself to sleep. She would take a look around her apartment, wishing only for one answer. Who was she? That's all she wanted to know. And her only chances of knowing seemed to be slipping away. She would be Lindsay Monroe, CSI/ Paige Hobson, data analyst.

She would be two different people, for the rest of her life. And she hated that; no one would ever know her true identity. People would come up to her and say, "Hey Lindsay, no I mean Paige," and she would say, "Yep, you've got it right. Lindsay/ Paige, that's me."

Tears rolled down her face, her cries getting louder at every moment. She ought to stop; people would start to notice her. She got up from her spot and moved to the bathroom. She had been their earlier this morning. And she had been doing the same thing as she was doing now; crying away all her fears, trying to forget the truth that she didn't want to know.

Lindsay walked up to the mirror and studied her face. She didn't recognize the person looking back at her; this wasn't the person she was a week ago. Her hair hadn't been brushed, and her eyes showed the tiredness from long, late nights she had experienced. She even looked as if she had aged, the way her eyes showed exhaustion and the serious expression formed from her used to be smile, now frown. She had let herself go; she almost didn't care what the others thought about her appearance.

The sudden opening of a bathroom stall door made her quickly turn away from the mirror. It was a lab technician; thank God she hadn't noticed Lindsay. She turned back to the mirror again and washed her hands. Lindsay looked around; to make sure no one else was in the bathroom. Then she turned to one of the bathroom stalls, went inside, and locked herself in. She banged on the door and began to cry again.

"Adisa, Julia, I'm so sorry!" she cried. Lindsay shook her head. "Look at myself, I'm a mess. I've let you guys down, I really have."

She looked at the many hand-writings on the stall walls. It was weird to think people working at the crime lab would still write messages on the wall, especially when she remembered herself as a teenager, writing on the bathroom stall in high school. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black permanent marker. Besides all on the other signatures, she wrote:

Paige Hobson, Thursday, March 27, 2008

She capped the marker and put it back in her pocket. "They'll find me now. They'll know who I was, and that I was here today." She unlocked the bathroom stall, washed her hands again, and left the bathroom. She walked down the hallway, thinking about who would find the signature. She wondered what the person would do about it, if they would ignore it or report the name to the police.

She was tired of keeping it a secret; she wanted more than just Mac, Jack, Samantha, and Luke to know. She needed someone to feel her pain, and help comfort her through the experience. She thought about Danny, remembering how he had tried to comfort her today. She shook her head. He wouldn't understand; he wouldn't be the one.

She said a silent prayer and then whispered, "Please God, have someone find that signature today."

Break Room

"I've got the sleeping bags!" exclaimed Sid as he walked through the door.

"Quiet!" Stella warned him. "We're watching a movie!"

Hawkes came over to help Sid with carrying the items. "Sleeping bags, seven of them, bottled water, the portable cooker…Sid; I think you've got everything…"

The door swung open and Lindsay ran inside. Her voice was shaky as she tried to explain what had happened. "Hurricane Arthur is forty eight hours from hitting the coast! We need to prepare!"

"We kind of just did that," Sid pointed out. "I got the supplies you requested."

"A hurricane?" questioned Stella. "Adam, you just said there was more rain coming!"

"A hurricane," Adam repeated. "Yeah, the Weather Channel had mentioned a hurricane…" He looked away from Stella, ashamed about how he had made such a stupid mistake.

"We need to board up as many of the windows as possible!" exclaimed Lindsay. "We need wood!"

"I'm a little afraid of heights," Flack announced from the couch he was sitting on.

"And all the people of New York will be panicking," Hawkes pointed out. "The stores will be full of people and…"

Lindsay ignored him and marched over to the TV. "What are you guys doing?"

"Watching a movie, what do you think we're doing?" questioned Danny.

Lindsay stared at the screen, seeing the images of tornados running through Los Angeles. She'd seen the movie before, was that what was going to really happen to New York? She remembered the floods in the movie and looked outside. She walked in front of the TV screen. "Don't you see what's happening? This movie shows exactly what is going to happen to New York in only in a matter of a day."

Stella crossed her arms. "Lindsay, nothing like that can really happen. The city of New York would never become that flooded."

"I'm talking like the entire state of New York!" exclaimed Lindsay. "It could happen, with the way it's been raining all week! There's a hurricane coming and all you guys are doing is sitting around watching a movie!"

"Ha!" exclaimed Flack. Everyone turned to look at him. "This is my favorite part. The janitor is just vacuuming in the hallway, listening to music, when a tornado rips away part of the building. He goes to open the door and then…nothing! There's no room, or anything!"

"What if that had been you?" Lindsay challenged him. "What would you have done?"

Flack shrugged.

"That's right; you wouldn't know what to do." Lindsay grabbed the remote. "This movie is over." When she was going to stop the movie, the power went out. She turned to face the others.

"Well, at least you didn't need to stop the movie," Sid said, knowing the comment would only make things worse.

"Yeah, at least," said Lindsay, and she walked over to the table in the middle of the room. "We have to leave," she explained. "We can't stay here. It's not safe." She paced back and forth, across the room, thinking of what to do next.

Adam stood up from the couch and whispered, "The day after tomorrow."

Lindsay gave him a puzzling look, but knew what he meant. _That's exactly what's going to happen,_ Lindsay thought. _New York is going to be a_ _complete ocean by tomorrow._ "Get the things together, evacuate everyone, and find the quickest transportation to the airport. Someone, please, you've got to help me."

Stella nodded and got up from the couch. "We'll all help, Lindsay. We're going to get through this. We'll be okay."

Lindsay smiled for the first time that week. She was glad to see Stella with so much determination. Lindsay only wished that she could believe the same.

_The CSIs have decided to evacuate New York. Where will they go? Will they make it out of New York in time? Answers to these questions will be discovered in later chapters..._

_Reviews please! Cold Case and Without a Trace will come into the story soon, after the next chapter Cold Case will be introduced, Without a Trace will be introduced after three more chapters._


	4. Finding the Team

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! We are now heading back to Princeton Plainsboro to see how our doctors are doing. Enjoy!_

Chapter Four: Finding the Team

Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, New Jersey

"The power has gone out!" exclaimed Dr. Allison Cameron.

"Good job for pointing out the obvious," commented Dr. Robert Chase.

"What are we going to do?" asked Cameron. "All of the medical equipment won't work now, and the computers hold all of our important information…"

"Cameron, you have to relax," said Chase. "There's not much you can do."

"But I can help," she told him.

"We should check in on the patients," Chase suggested. "They'll be the ones we need to help first."

"Okay, I'll take the first floor and you can take the second," said Cameron.

Chase nodded. "I'll find the others to see if they can help."

Dr. Gregory House's Office

House stared at her in horror. "What?"

"A hurricane actually," explained Cuddy. "It'll hit in forty eight hours, so we need to start evacuating."

"Hello, the power is out!" exclaimed Thirteen. "Let's focus on that first!"

"And where will we go once we evacuate?" questioned Taub. "With the floods, it'll be hard to drive anywhere."

"I don't know," Cuddy admitted. She sighed. "Where are Cameron and Chase? We have to make sure they're all right."

"They'll be fine," said Foreman. "They will figure out some plan and find us, I'm sure."

"What about all the patients at the hospital?" Kutner asked. "What will we do about them?"

"At this point, it'll be hard to do anything for them," whispered Cuddy. The room fell silent at that comment. Evacuating the patients would be hard. Some would be able to make it out of the building fine, but the ones who were extremely ill or in a coma, would be hard or more like impossible to get out of the building. They needed to get help, and plenty of it. As Cuddy walked over to the door, she heard Thirteen gasp.

Glass from the windows suddenly broke. "What just happened?" Cuddy asked.

"The glass from the windows just broke," Thirteen said, but that wasn't the answer Cuddy was looking for.

"I know that!" exclaimed Cuddy. "I meant, what caused that to happen?"

"I don't know," said Thirteen. "But what we need to focus on is finding the others, so come on!" Thirteen got up from her chair and hurried out of the room, along with Foreman, Taub, and Kutner.

Cuddy turned around to look at the windows. What had caused that to happen? And most importantly, would they be able to get out of the city before the hurricane hit?

"Cuddy, why are you standing there?" House shouted to her, but he grabbed her hand before she could answer. He was able to get her away from the room, but Cuddy couldn't match House's pace. She ended up letting go of his hand and running farther from him.

Thirteen looked to see Cuddy running toward her. "Where's House?" she asked.

Cuddy nodded behind her to inform Thirteen that House was farther down the hallway.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath. "Keep going. I'll go help him."

Cuddy gave her a harsh glance, and then hurried to join the others. She had just called her an idiot, what else did Thirteen not like about her?

Thirteen ran to House and grabbed his hand. "I can walk by myself," House snapped at her.

"How come you're so far behind then?" she retorted back.

"I'm a cripple," he said.

Thirteen looked behind her to see water filling in the hallway. "Forget this cane," she said, taking the cane away from House. "A wheelchair will have to do."

House opened his mouth to protest, but Thirteen silenced him. She quickly found a wheelchair and wheeled House over to the group.

Foreman couldn't help but laugh. "Good thinking, Thirteen."

"Thanks," she said.

"Good, now that House has caught up with the group, we need to get out of the building," Cuddy shouted above the thunder outside.

"How will we do that when there's nothing but water outside?" asked Thirteen. "How are we going to be able to stay here if the water has already started to flood the building?"

First Floor of Princeton Plainsboro Hospital

"Chase!" exclaimed Cameron. "Oh, there's no use!"

She looked to the floor to see water just touching the bottom of her shoes. She ran around frantically searching for a familiar face, but she couldn't find Chase, or anyone she knew. "Chase! Cuddy! House! Wilson! Foreman…where are you guys?" She would look for House's new staff members, but she was unsure of where they would be, so she decided to sit down on one of the couches by the entrance, hoping someone would find her.

"Cameron, why are you sitting there, doing nothing?" a voice questioned.

Cameron looked up to see Chase staring at her. "Oh, thank God it's you!" She hugged him. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know, I never found them," he explained. "We need to do something about evacuating this building."

"Like what?" Cameron asked. "We can't stop the rain, and evacuating would be impossible with the flood, so what can we do?"

Chase took hold of Cameron's hand. "We can get everyone to the top floor of the hospital. Then we can call for help, and from there, we'll have to wait."

"But we can't just wait the storm out," said Cameron. "A hurricane's coming, well I think, it was coming up to the east coast when I last heard the weather report…Chase, do you think the hurricane's hitting now?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"We should find the others first," Cameron suggested. "Maybe they'll know more about what's happening."

Chase nodded, and with that, they set off to find Cuddy, Wilson, House, and the team.

_A/N: Next chapter will be about Cold Case_


	5. Scotty's Departure

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, lily moonlight, and StoryDreamer for reviewing! Here's the first chapter about Cold Case. Hope you enjoy it!_

_A/N: Thank you StoryDreamer for answering my question! :) _

Chapter Five: Scotty's Departure

Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania

Detective Lilly Rush listened in to the latest weather report. They had prepared for the storm, but she wondered if the hurricane would even make it here before it died out.

"Rush," called Detective Scotty Valens.

She turned around and greeted him with a smile. "What is it, Scotty?"

"Are you prepared for that storm?" he asked her.

"I'm starting to wonder if it'll even make it to us before it dies out," replied Lilly. "What do you think?"

"Well, I heard that the state of New Jersey has been hit pretty hard, and the hurricane hasn't even made landfall yet." Scotty shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I think this storm is going to claim a lot of lives, Lilly. I was thinking about maybe leaving the state of Pennsylvania, before the storm even hits."

Lilly stared at him in surprise. "Why would you want to leave? Wouldn't you miss work and all of your friends?"

"Of course I would miss work and my friends," agreed Scotty. "I can't risk to get stuck in a storm, though."

Lilly understood what he was saying. If he stayed, he would have to face a storm and risk losing his life. But even if he left, he would still leave behind the life he knew. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Scotty nodded. "What are you going to do? Leave the state or stay behind and face the storm?"

Lilly had wanted so badly not to have to answer that question. She had avoided even thinking about it. But with the storm so near, she didn't have much of a choice. She would have to make the decision now. "I don't know Valens," she said. "It's hard for me to let go of something I've know for my entire life."

"I'm not going to force you into making your choice now," said Scotty. "But you may want to think about making your decision soon because in forty eight hours, the hurricane will have made landfall, and it won't take long to reach Philly."

Lilly nodded. She watched as Scotty left the room, to get ready for his departure. "Scotty!" she called.

He turned around. "What is it?"

"Where are you going to head?"

"Chicago," he answered, and then he left Lilly standing by herself.

_Poor Lilly, all alone now. What will she do? Will she leave Philly? Another few chapters and we'll find out..._

_Are you liking it? Continue to review, and thank you again to all who read and review! Next part will be about CSI: NY!_


	6. Double Identity

_Thank you to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing. Glad you're enjoying it so much! :) Next part will finally be about Without a Trace. Yay!_

Chapter Six: Double Identity

The New York Crime Lab, New York

Stella hurried down the hall, stopping at every room to warn the people about the upcoming storm. She would tell them to meet in the lobby, where they could chose to either go home or take a cab to LaGuardia Airport or John F. Kennedy International Airport, depending on where the people would take a flight to. After what seemed like she had warned one whole floor of people, she stopped by the bathroom to make sure no one was in there.

"Okay, simple procedure," said Stella as she walked into the bathroom. "Either stay here or get lost." She would have said that in a more polite manner, but she didn't see anyone in the bathroom, so she didn't care about what she said. She knocked on each bathroom stall to see if anyone was inside, and each one she checked was empty. It was when she knocked on the last bathroom stall did she find something strange.

The door of the stall slightly opened, making a creaking sound that hurt Stella's ears. She laughed at the site of all the messages written on the wall, but when she examined it more closely, did she see the name that had brought so many questions to her mind. "Paige Hobson," she whispered. "Thursday, March 27, 2008. She was here…today."

She scanned the outside of the bathroom, to make sure no one was watching her, and took a picture of the signature with her cell phone. She knew the smart thing to do would be to report the name to the FBI, but with the storm and everything, she didn't have time to do that. Once she had double checked that the bathroom was all clear, she made her way to the lobby, to find Mac and the others. She stopped when she saw Lindsay and Mac discussing something in the break room. Again, being a spy, she hid behind the closest wall, and listened to their conversation.

"This is really bothering me Mac!" Lindsay was saying. "I'm such a terrible person. I let both of them down, when I could have saved them!"

"It's not your fault," said Mac. "None of that was your fault."

"I could have prevented it," whispered Lindsay.

"You wouldn't have known that was going to happen," said Mac. "You shouldn't feel responsible for any of that."

_What were they talking about?_ Stella thought. _What did Lindsay feel so responsible for?_

"I need someone Mac," cried Lindsay. "Someone who will understand what I am going through. I thought Danny would be that 'someone', but I know he wouldn't want anything to do with this; he has gone through enough himself. I just don't think he would understand this, it's nothing like what he has faced before."

"So, what was it that you did today?" asked Mac.

"I wrote my name on that wall, that's what I did," explained Lindsay. "So people could know my story. So I could have people help figure out who I really am."

Lindsay…was the one who signed that wall? Why would she sign as 'Paige Hobson' and not as 'Lindsay Monroe'? Then she remembered the phone call.

_Lindsay answered the phone. "Have you figured out who I am?"_

And what she had just said, "so I could have people help figure out who I really am", must mean that she's…Paige Hobson. Not only would that mean she's Paige Hobson, but she was also Lindsay Monroe. Lindsay was two people…how could that be possible?

"You really want to know, don't you?" asked Mac.

"Yes," replied Lindsay. "I don't want to go as Paige/Lindsay for the rest of my life. I need to know the real answer, the person I was really born to be."

"What if you were Paige Hobson? Would you resign from this job and go back to working as a data analyst?"

"I don't know if I could," replied Lindsay. "I was never happy with that job. It was the only way I could make a difference though. But after talking with Samantha, she made me realize that I do make a difference, everyday when I work this job. I think I would still be a CSI investigator, Mac."

Could that possibly mean the person Lindsay was talking to earlier was FBI agent Samantha Spade, the woman who had helped find Stella when she had been kidnapped? Stella wanted so badly to know more, but she had a feeling she knew enough already. More than she should know about Paige Hobson, anyway. She was about to start walking towards the lobby when she heard Lindsay scream.

"Mac, look out, the window!" she exclaimed.

Stella waited as silence broke out between the two. A few moments later she heard a BANG, and then saw the glass fling across the hallway. Water started to fill the hallway, causing Stella's shoes to get wet. "Lindsay, Mac, what happened…?"

"Stella, run for it, now!" Lindsay yelled, pushing her away from the room. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, and Stella was concerned about what had happened.

"Lindsay, are you all right?"

"Stella, I'm fine, run!" She pushed her away and ran back to help Mac. Even more water was filling the hallway when Lindsay returned with Mac at her side. "Stella, how many times have I told you to run?"

"I wanted to make sure you were all right," said Stella. "What happened back there?"

Mac shook his head. "There's no time to explain. We have to leave, now." To Stella's surprise, he took her hand, made sure Lindsay was following them, and led her to the lobby. And they were not expected to see what lay in front of them.

_Stella knows more about Lindsay's secret. What will happen? Will she tell anyone about it? Maybe she will maybe she won't..._


	7. Waiting In Line

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! Maybe I should have put this story under suspense? Though this chapter isn't exactly as suspenseful...enjoy!_

Chapter Seven: Waiting in Line

FBI Department, New York

Jack Malone rushed his team into the many cabs that were parked outside the building. The rain was flooding the streets, but they would still be able to get to the airport. They would be driving away from the coast and the flooding wouldn't be as bad. Elena Delgado came rushing to his side.

"Where's Sam?" he asked Elena.

"I don't know, that's what I came here to ask you," she replied.

"Get in a cab," Jack told her. He turned around to look at the building. "Where could you be now, Sam?" He pushed through the horde of people, and made his way back into the dark, lifeless building. "Samantha!"

_She's probably in her office_, Jack thought. And that was exactly where she was; in her office, throwing things on her desk, swiftly putting them in a bag. "What are you doing?" exclaimed Jack. "There's a storm coming and now you're getting your things together?"

"I'm trying to get as much as I can from the Paige Hobson case," explained Samantha. "I can't lose it or I'll have to start from square one again."

"Sam, just start from square one again, it's more important for you to get yourself out of this building and away from this storm." He grabbed her hand.

"Malone, I promised Paige I'd figure out who she was. I'm not losing the information I need to help her!" Samantha pulled away from his grip and started to throw more things in the bag.

"I'm not leaving until I know you're in one of those cabs, heading for the airport," said Jack.

"Well, instead of standing around watching me, could you at least help?" asked Samantha.

Jack nodded. She started to provide him with directions to tell him what was where and what she needed. Sam was organized, so everything was in its right place and easy to find. When she was done getting the things she needed they made their way back outside, swiftly and silently. Elena was still waiting by a cab, looking at her watch. Her voice showed little impatience when they arrived at her side.

"Thank God you two are all right!" exclaimed Elena. "Now, get in the car! We must hurry!"

Elena allowed the two to get in first, and then she got into the cab herself. They didn't need to tell the driver where they were going; he already knew their destination was LaGuardia Airport. And the ride was free, since it was a time of emergency.

Sam gripped the bag she was holding tightly. Jack knew her reason for this; Elena didn't bother asking, knowing it wasn't her business to know what was in the bag. But Jack knew the Paige Hobson case was important to Sam and that she wanted to help Paige every step of the way to finding her true identity. Right now, he and Sam were the only ones that knew Paige Hobson wasn't truly missing. Along with Detective Mac Taylor at the NYPD, they were the only three that knew Paige as Lindsay Monroe.

Sam looked at the window, her face full of worry. Without turning to glance at him, she asked, "Where are we going to go Jack?"

Elena turned to look at Jack, thinking that he had all of the answers. He glanced uncomfortably at Elena and Sam. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know."

"You shouldn't know," whispered Sam. "Making quick decisions without little facts will lead you into failure. Longer, thought out judgments will lead you into making the _right_ choice."

Jack smiled. She had spoken to him with words of wisdom. He would soon need to figure out where he was going and if the team would come. It would be hard to leave behind all of his friends, the people who had worked with him in his job. Instead of answering the question of where they would be headed, he said, "The airport's going to be busy."

"Yes," agreed Sam. "It will be very hectic getting through that place."

"Finding a flight is going to be hard," Elena pointed out. She was bringing up the subject of where they were going again. "If I were to choose to go somewhere, I would go to Miami. The nice warm weather, the beautiful beaches, it would be so comforting…"

"Yeah, and get pounded by another hurricane," Sam joked. "Miami's nice, but also a center for the trouble of hurricanes."

Elena shrugged. "I'd still go there."

Suddenly, a new voice joined the conversation. "How about going to Chicago? The weather isn't always warm, but there are no threats for hurricanes. Tornados aren't a big possibility either…"

"The Windy City could be a possible destination," Sam agreed with the cab driver. "Did you grow up there?"

"A friend of mine did," he explained. "The weather is cold in the winter, warm in the summer, and like I said, storms aren't always a big problem."

"What's the weather like in the spring and fall?" questioned Elena. "My destination could still be Miami…"

"Sometimes it can be cold in the spring, but usually warm," the cab driver replied. "Fall is warm in the beginning, and then the temperature starts to go down."

"I could deal with the weather," said Sam. "I might book a flight there."

Jack spoke up. "I think Chicago would be that long, thought out judgment Sam was talking about earlier. I think I might have to book a flight there myself."

Elena was slowly shaking her head. "Miami still sounds better, but if I'm away from hurricanes and tornados…I'll come too."

Jack was pleased to know that both Sam and Elena would be accompanying him to their new home. He speculated if the others on his team would agree and come with them to Chicago. All the same, it was their choice to choose where to go. He couldn't force anyone into going somewhere that they didn't want to.

The rest of the drive was ridden in silence. As LaGuardia Airport came into view, Jack thought about how Paige was doing. Would she be there to greet them or still be stuck in the storm? Nevertheless, he would still be departing for Chicago. He couldn't help Paige; he didn't even know where she was now. Sam jerked him from his thoughts.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

He realized that he had been sitting in the cab alone, with stares from both Elena and the cab driver. "Yes, of course I'm coming." Jack got out of the car and walked into the airport. He had been right; the airport was_ packed_ with people.

"Do you want to go to the John F. Kennedy International Airport instead?" Elena asked, in a joking way.

"We're not going international," Samantha joked back.

Elena shook her head and stared at the increasing crowd of people. Jack could tell she wasn't looking forward to the long wait in line, especially when they hadn't even booked a flight yet. Sam was already strolling away from them, glancing up and down at all the lines to see which one was the shortest.

"She's out of her mind if she's really thinking of waiting in any of those lines," Elena whispered to Jack.

"Well, how else do you think we're going to leave New York?" questioned Jack.

Sam approached Elena and Jack. "I would be out of my mind if we decided to wait in that. Good thing we're the FBI, so that way, we can get ahead of the group."

As Sam started to walk away again, Jack put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from going any further. "We have to wait in line, just like all the other people," he told her. "We're all leaving for the same reason, to get away from the storm."

"Some people could be vacationing," said Sam. "We'll just tell the people at the front desk that we're investigating a missing person case that leads us to Chicago."

"I agree with Spade on that," said Elena.

"Fine, Spade you try to book a flight that way," said Jack. Before Elena could walk away with her, Jack pulled her towards him. "You and I will wait in line, to show Sam the hard way of learning to use polite manners."

"But she'll get the flight way before we even get to the front of the line," said Elena.

"Maybe," said Jack. With that they set off to wait in line. Jack could see Sam already at the front desk, explaining to the person about their so called "case." For about ten minutes, she was up at the desk, trying to look as patient as possible. She saw Jack looking at her and she nodded to tell him everything was working out. But five minutes later, she was sent to the back of the line. Jack and Elena were almost at the front of the line.

"I told you Sam would learn the hard way," Jack whispered to Elena. "Looks like the FBI thing and the missing person case leading to Chicago didn't work out for her."

Elena laughed and watched as Sam impatiently waited at the end of the line. When it was their turn to book their flight to Chicago, Sam wasn't even close to being in the middle of the line. "We'll wait for her," said Elena.

Jack explained to airline attendant that he needed the quickest possible flight to Chicago. Unfortunately, a flight to Chicago was leaving now, and the next flight wouldn't be until eight tonight. He told the attendant that the flight would do and that there were three people accompanying him. He quickly told the attendant the names of the people accompanying him, showed the guy IDs, said they were carrying on one piece of baggage, and waited for the tickets.

"Decided to pay for Sam's ticket?" questioned Elena.

"Yeah, but I'm still going to make her wait," said Jack.

The airline attendant gave him the tickets and then he made his way to a little waiting area, to wait for Sam. When he saw her get to the front of the line, he informed Elena, and the two watched to see what Sam's reaction would be to the already booked flight for her.

"I need the quickest possible flight to Chicago," Sam told the flight attendant.

"The next flight leaves at eight tonight, is that good for you?"

"Yes," replied Samantha.

"Name please," the flight attendant asked.

"Samantha Spade." She waited as the flight attendant typed a few things into his computer. Then he looked up at her, a smile forming across his face. "What?" Sam asked.

"According to the information here, you've already booked a flight for Chicago at 8pm tonight," he explained pointing to the computer.

"Really, who actually booked the flight?"

"Jack Malone," he answered.

"Okay, I guess I'll be leaving then." Sam strolled down the line, her face showing anger. When Jack was in clear earshot she exclaimed, "You made me wait in that line _after _you booked a flight for me?"

Jack smiled. "I taught you something about manners."

Sam shook her head, face full of disgust. "Let's go and get through security. I'm getting hungry I would like to get to the waiting room before our flight leaves on us."

"The flight is not until eight, remember?" Elena said. "It's only four, we have plenty of time."

"Let's just go before Malone decides to teach me other lesson about being patient." Elena got up from her seat, but Jack stayed where he was. "Aren't you coming?" asked Sam.

"We can't go just yet," he explained. "We've got to wait for the rest of the team to catch up with us."

Sam stared at him for a moment and then nodded her head. "We'll wait for the team. If they don't show up by five thirty, we're leaving to go to security." She took a seat next to Jack and Elena. Jack was glad to have three of his team members by his side, but would the others agree to go to Chicago too?

_Did you like? Reviews please! Next chapter will go back to our doctors at Princeton Plainsboro and they are still running around trying to find each other..._


	8. Disputes

_Thank you iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! Now here we are back to the hospital, hopefully the doctors will find each other soon..._

Chapter Eight: Disputes

Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, New Jersey

Dr. James Wilson grabbed the things he needed from his desk and quickly glanced outside the window. The opening of the door startled him.

"Wilson, why are you staring out the window and not evacuating?" exclaimed Cameron.

"Sorry," he said. "I was just coming now."

Cameron held the door open as he hurried out of his office. He looked at Chase and then back at Cameron. "Where are Cuddy and House?"

"We'd thought you would know!" exclaimed Cameron above the many screaming voices.

"Have you see Foreman or any of House's staff?" questioned Chase.

"No, not at all today," replied Wilson.

Cameron sighed. "We'll never find them in this mess."

"What about Cuddy's office or House's office?" asked Wilson. "That's where they would normally be."

"We've already checked," said Cameron. "They weren't there."

Wilson stared at them in disbelief. They were always there and now in a time of emergency they decided to be somewhere else? "They've got to be near to us. They've probably been looking for us, wondering where we are."

At the mention of that Cuddy, House, and the team appear at their side. "We were looking for you!" exclaimed Cuddy. "Next time, stay where you are so we can find you!"

Wilson shook his head and then looked at House in his wheelchair. Trying hard not to laugh he said, "Nice, House. Now you have people serving your every need."

"It was Thirteen's idea," said House.

"Yeah, I was the only one who decided to help him," Thirteen said, with a quick glance at Cuddy.

"I think she has a crush on me, just like Cameron did," said House.

Cameron's face turned slightly red. "That was a long time ago. I'm with Chase now."

"Three years actually," House corrected her. "It wasn't that long ago."

"Are we going to stand here and talk about House's old staff members, or are we going to leave?" questioned Taub.

"What do you mean, leave?" asked Cameron.

"Leave the state of New Jersey," explained Cuddy. "We can't stay here."

"Well, I can't leave," said Cameron.

Wilson stared at her in surprise. There was a hurricane coming and she didn't want to leave? But he knew Cameron. She would stay back to help the patients of the hospital, even if that meant risking her life.

"You can stay back if you want," said Cuddy. "I'm sure Thirteen here wouldn't mind staying with you either."

Thirteen gave Cuddy a hostile glance. Before she could begin to argue with Cuddy, Chase stepped forward. "Cameron, you can't stay. I know your heart lies here at the hospital and you will do anything to help these patients, but staying here will lead you into nothing but misery." Cameron lowered her head.

Chase continued. "Cameron, you can't save everybody. Some people are meant to die here in this storm, and others will make it through. There are too many patients to save and it will be impossible to handle on your own. Help is already coming, so there will be people out there helping the patients."

"I know," whispered Cameron. "I just want to be that 'someone' who could help."

Wilson watched as Chase put his arm around Cameron. "You've helped enough," Chase reassured her. "The best thing you could do now is help save yourself."

"Well, let's get going then!" exclaimed Wilson.

"Let's get going _where _exactly?" asked Taub.

"The airport would be a good place to start," Kutner pointed out.

"Nnnooo," Taub exaggerated.

Kutner shook his head.

"Let's just get to the airport first and then decided on where to go," Wilson suggested.

Cuddy nodded to show her agreement. She turned to Thirteen. "Do you still want to stay here?"

Wilson waited for her reply. He expected for her to answer with something like, "I'll stay here any day than come with you," or, "Of course I'm going to stay here, idiot! What did you think I was going to do?" Instead, she answered, "You've convinced me. I'll come with you to the airport, but I'm not heading for the same destination as _you_." He noticed that she was talking directly to Cuddy. He speculated on what had made Thirteen hate her so much. He would have thought she would be bickering with House more than Cuddy.

Cuddy pushed the rain sodden hair out of her face. Wilson thought she was about to pick a fight with Thirteen, but instead she said, "What are we going to do about transportation?"

"We could take a cab," Chase suggested.

"What about our own cars?" Kutner asked.

"We can't take a cab with the floods!" exclaimed Thirteen. "And with this weather, it would be a dangerous idea."

"Do we have much of a choice?" Cuddy questioned her.

"Hey, we can either stay here to die, or we can take a cab in the floods, hoping that we don't drown," House suggested.

Wilson, Foreman, and Taub watched the five of them argue over what they were going to do. "Do you want to suggest something, or should I?" he asked Taub.

"I wouldn't even bother," replied Taub. "Then you'll be involved in the argument."

Foreman laughed. "I think it's just funny to watch them fight over something so stupid."

Cameron was the only one who hadn't said anything. She shook her head. "People, are we going to argue over this and get nowhere?" She pushed her way into the middle of the group. "We'll take a cab and risk the chances of drowning."

Kutner was about to open his mouth to say something, but Cameron already knew what he was going to ask. "And to answer your question Kutner, it would be dumb to have everyone drive in their own car, since we're all parked in different areas. We'll go to the Newark International Airport, since it's the closest, and so that settles which airport we'll be going to." She turned to Cuddy and Thirteen. "And you two stop the arguing and start to consider each other's ideas. Cuddy, you're the boss of House and House is the boss of his team, so maybe you should just stop talking to Thirteen so she'll stop arguing with you."

"Cuddy, you can pick a fight with House any day," Cameron continued. "You're his boss anyway. But you should stay out of Thirteen's path, so she won't bother you. Can you at least do that?"

Cuddy nodded.

Besides him, Taub whispered, "She told her." Wilson knew Cuddy was shocked at Cameron's words. He, himself, was shocked at how she had just told off her boss. Normally, Cuddy would have said something back, but now, Wilson could tell she couldn't find the words to match what Cameron had said. He glanced at Thirteen, who had a look of satisfaction on her face.

Cameron wasn't done with her speech yet. Her next victim was Thirteen. "And I mean you too! You shouldn't even be smiling; House could get permission from Cuddy to fire you right now!"

Thirteen shook her head. "He wouldn't fire me. He would be as satisfied as I am right now because I just told off my boss."

"Yeah, when I was the one who really told the both of you off," Cameron scoffed. "I may have liked House, but I'll tell you he'll never fall in love with someone as insolent as you."

"Sounds like your describing House more than me," said Thirteen.

"You're worse than Amber," whispered Cameron. She turned to Wilson. "By the way, where is Amber? I thought you two were dating."

"And I should know where she is?" questioned Wilson.

"And by that he means they're over," said House. "Just by his tone I could tell. I knew they wouldn't last; Amber's an idiot anyway."

A weak voice joined the conversation. It was Cuddy's. "Let's get going. We don't have time to sit around and chat." She strolled off towards the entrance door; Cameron glanced at Wilson with an apologetic look. He didn't know why she looked at him like that, but he understood that she didn't mean to make Cuddy feel so bad. He nodded his head to her, trying to tell her that she had done the right thing.

Chase decided to make the phone call to get a few cabs to come and drive them to Newark International Airport. As they waited, Wilson thought about where Amber was. She didn't work at the hospital, so she wouldn't have been there. He could care less about where she was, he almost hoped she got stuck in the storm. He was sure that House and the others would agree with him.

But why did Cuddy and Thirteen hate each other so much? He thought. Now that everyone knew about the how they felt about each other, would the arguing just get worse? And would Cuddy back down from Thirteen and let her order Cuddy around? With the way that the argument had just occurred, it looked as if Cuddy was already allowing that to happen.

_Yes, Wilson and Amber aren't dating. But this doesn't mean I've forgotten about Amber... Sorry if you liked the two together, and I didn't mind them together either, but I just decided not to have them dating in this story._

_The doctors are finally making their way out of the hospital! Now the question is, will they be able to come to a decision of where to evacuate to? And will Cuddy and Thirteen manage to get along with each other? _


	9. Amber Volakis

_Thank you to iluvcsi4ever, StoryDreamer, and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! Thank you for being so supportive! And thank you to all who put this story on their story alerts and favorites list! _

_Now, where did we leave off...Wilson had been wondering where Amber was...well, Wilson won't know where she is but to all who read will! Enjoy the next chapter!_

Chapter Nine: Amber Volakis

Newark International Airport, New Jersey

Amber Volakis awaited her flight to Miami, Florida. The flight would be leaving soon, and in about three hours she would be on the beach, relaxing in the warm, sunny weather. _Ha_, she thought. _Wilson won't be accompanying me to the beach. He won't even make it out of New Jersey before the storms kills him first._

Her thought was selfish, indeed, but she could care less. All she cared about was leaving the state of New Jersey to get away from the storm. And she would probably be the one who survived the storm; House's staff would be too concerned and help everyone at the hospital. Even Wilson himself would do that, for the jerk that he was.

House may get out of New Jersey, but she doubted that it would happen. _Nah, he would want to help Cuddy._ She had made her conclusion; she _would _be the only one who survived the storm from House's staff.

"American Airlines flight 327 for Miami, Florida will start boarding with rows 36 through 29," the flight attendant announced over the speaker.

Amber continued to read her magazine. She was in first class, so her row would be called last. She looked at her boarding ticket. Her seat was 5C, and she wondered who would be sitting next to her. First class had its perks, but if she had to sit by some weird guy, she would demand to change seats.

She closed her magazine and looked up to watch the TV. The report on Hurricane Arthur was on, saying that the hurricane was now a Category 4, and was increasing in power. They were saying this storm could put the entire state of New Jersey under water, but she knew that would never happen. The weather people were starting to sound like all the people around her, worrying about what will become of the storm. She didn't believe that the storm was going to cause that much damage, even if flooding had become a big deal now. The chances of a real 'The Day After Tomorrow' happening were pretty slim.

"Flight 327 for Miami, Florida, will continue to board with rows 28 through 20," the flight attendant announced.

"This is going to take forever," Amber whispered to herself. The cry of a baby sounded in the waiting room and she hoped that it would be quiet for the flight. _If the mother of that baby has_ _to sit next to me_ _during the flight_, Amber thought, _I will go insane._ The baby continued to cry, and Amber slouched down in her seat as the mother sat down in the chair next to her. She smiled to her and Amber quickly smiled back. Then she took her magazine and put it up in front of her face so the mother couldn't see her.

_This is going to be a long wait, _she thought. When she thought the crying would never end, the flight attendant came back over the speaker. "Flight 327 for Miami, Florida will continue to board with rows 20 through 10." The mother and her baby got up to board the plane.

When they were out of earshot, Amber whispered, "Thank God." She closed the magazine again and turned to watch the TV. The only thing that was on was the stupid weather report about Hurricane Arthur. She thought that her row would never get called, so she decided to close her eyes for a while. In a matter of a few minutes the flight attendant came back on the speaker and announced, "Flight 327 for Miami, Florida will continue to board with rows 9 through 1."

Amber immediately opened her eyes and hurried to board the plane. She gave her boarding ticket to the flight attendant, watched him check the ticket, and then put her hand out to retrieve the ticket from flight attendant. She made her way on to the plane and took her seat in row 5. She relaxed and thought about what Florida would be like.

Then, what she least expected, some video game addict with PSP took a seat next to her. And what looked like the guy's friend, took a seat next to him, and he also had a PSP in his hands. _Great, _Amber thought, _these two won't shut up at all during the flight. They'll keep complaining about who won their stupid game. _

The guy decided to start a conversation with her. "Do like the Miami area?"

"Yeah," replied Amber quickly. She took her magazine again and pretended to read it. She did not want to have anything to do with this guy, let alone even talk to him. _When I thought a weird guy would sit next to me, it really happens, and instead of one weird guy, it's two of them. _She hoped to change seats, but she knew the chances of that happening were next to nothing. She blew the hair out of her face and wished the flight would end fast.

_A/N: Not exactly suspenseful, but a little humorous. I know this is a little of topic, but to all the House viewers out there, who hated Amber in the beginning of season four and then begin to find respect for her after the season finale? Maybe you liked her in the beginning, maybe you didn't, but we know her fellow colleagues didn't like her until after what happened during the season finale! (And if you haven't seen the season four finale for House, you should check it out!) And the next part of the story will be about CSI: NY and Without a Trace meeting up at the airport! Yay!_


	10. CSI Meet the FBI

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! _

Chapter Ten: CSI Meet the FBI

The New York Crime Lab, New York

"Danny!" Lindsay called out. "Oh Mac, how could this happen?"

Stella answered for him. "I don't know, but we don't have time to…" More of the windows shattered, sending broken glass flying across the room. The water was knee deep now and still rising. "We need to leave, get out, now!"

Stella grabbed Mac's hand, who grabbed Lindsay's hand. They ran together through the water, making their way to the entrance. The glass doors were gone now, broken from the flood rising waters. Then a voice called behind them. "Lindsay, are you there?"

Lindsay turned around in surprise. "Danny, I thought you were outside, leaving for the airport!"

He didn't answer, but instead got a mouthful of water. Lindsay reacted immediately and ran over to his side. Stella pushed Mac to the entrance. "Go without me, I'll get Lindsay."

"Stella, the flood waters are getting deeper every minute, if you don't get in a cab to leave to the airport now, you'll end up getting washed away by the water!" Mac exclaimed. Stella tried to walk away from Mac, but he wouldn't let go of her hand. "I'm not losing you again."

"You won't," replied Stella. "Just let me do this, or you'll lose both Paige and Danny."

Mac stared at Stella in shock. _Oops, _she thought. _I just called Lindsay, Paige. Now he'll know I've found out Lindsay's secret. _

"Did you just say…?"

Stella pushed him outside and ran back into the water filled lobby. Chairs, phones, plants, and tables were now floating in the water. Pieces of glass floated on the surface of the water and Stella had to watch out for any other windows that might break from the pressure of the flood waters. "Danny, Lindsay, get over to the entrance now!"

She fell down into the water as she ran towards Danny and Lindsay. The water was cold and sent a chill down her spine. She recovered quickly and got up from the water. "Danny, Lindsay, can you hear me?"

"Yes," Danny called. "We're over here, by the check in desk!"

She spotted Danny waving his hands and she tried to run as fast as she could. With the water already knee deep, it made it hard to even walk. When she reached them, she put out her hand. "We've got to hurry or else we won't make it to the airport!"

Danny grabbed Stella's hand, and she saw that Lindsay had already been holding on to Danny's hand. They made their way to the entrance and to the front steps of the New York Crime Lab. "Look!" Lindsay called.

Stella looked at the scene in front of her. The rain was starting to flood the roads. "Stella!" a voice called. She saw that Mac was in the front seat of a cab, waiting for her. "Get in the car, quick!"

She quickly obeyed and opened the car door. "LaGuardia Airport," Stella ordered to the cab driver.

He immediately started the car and drove through the flood watered streets. Stella watched in horror as the city of New York was drowned in the water. The home she had known for so long was now vanishing before her eyes. She had grown up here, lived here for all her life. And now, it was all going to be gone. In forty eight hours, the city of New York would truly be destroyed and washed away by the floods. _Lindsay had been right after all_, she thought. _New York would become of what had_ _happened in the movie 'The Day after Tomorrow'._

As the airport came into view, Stella let out a sigh of relief. They had made it to the airport, now they just had to make it out of the city. They got out of the car, happy to see the water had receded a little.

Mac led the way into the airport. He met up with the rest of the CSI team. "Hey!" exclaimed Flack. "We thought you'd never make it."

"Well, we did," said Mac. "For a second, I thought we'd never make it out of the crime lab."

"I'm glad you did," Flack said.

Stella looked at the lines for each airline. "Did you guys stop to think about where you are going?"

"I know where I'm going," said Mac.

Stella nodded. She knew he would go to Chicago, since he had grown up there. But she was still undecided about where she would go, and she didn't want to leave Mac go to Chicago alone. "I'll come with you," she said. "I'll go to Chicago with you."

Mac smiled. "Are you sure that's where you want to go?"

"Yes," replied Stella. She had to go with Mac to Chicago. If she didn't, she would lose one of her best friends.

"Samantha!" exclaimed Lindsay. Everyone turned to look at her. "The FBI agent, Samantha Spade, she's here!" In the distance, Stella could see the blond haired FBI agent, sitting in one of the chairs besides Jack Malone and by another woman she didn't recognize. Lindsay ran over to her, finally sounding happy for the first time that day.

Samantha looked up to see Lindsay coming towards her. She got up from the chair and greeted her with a hug. "Paige, thank God you're all right."

"The others," Lindsay whispered and she nodded behind her.

Samantha nodded her head to show she understood. "You're all wet, what happened?"

"The New York Crime Lab was filling with water from the floods," explained Lindsay. "You must have been lucky."

"Our building was starting to fill with water too," said Samantha. "We just got out in time before it got worse." The CSI team was now walking over to Sam and Lindsay. "Mac Taylor, Stella Bonasera, Danny Messer, it's nice to see you all again. Sorry, but I don't exactly remember all of you."

Hawkes stepped forward and shook Samantha's hand. "Sheldon Hawkes."

A smile appeared on her face. "I talked to you in the lab one day, now I remember you."

Jack Malone went over to Flack. "We talked a few times, Don Flack?"

"Yep," replied Flack. "And you're Jack Malone, right?"

"Yes," said Jack.

Elena got up from her seat. "Sorry, but I don't think I've met any of you."

Jack signaled for her to come over to him. "This is Elena Delgado; she works with Sam and me. She was assigned to Stella's case, but she hadn't gone to the New York Crime Lab like Samantha and I had."

Stella went over to shake her hand. "I'm Stella. And yes, I did go missing and that's the case both Jack and Samantha worked on."

Elena nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

Adam and Sid appeared by Stella's side. "Adam Ross, I'm a lab technician, so I was never really able to meet you guys." He shook hands with Jack, Samantha, and Elena.

"Sid Hammerback, the medical examiner at the New York Crime Lab, you wouldn't have seen much of me since I'm always in morgue," Sid introduced himself.

Lindsay spoke up again. "Where are you going?"

"Well, the three of us are going to Chicago," replied Sam. "What about you?"

"I don't know," Lindsay admitted. "Anywhere would be nice, if I could just get away from this hurricane."

_There she goes again with that 'everybody hates us' voice,_ Stella thought. _I hope she doesn't go somewhere 'dark and gloomy'._

"Stella and I are going to Chicago," said Mac. "When does your flight leave?"

"Eight o'clock," Sam replied with a sigh. "Right now, we're waiting for the rest of our team to show up."

"What do you mean, 'show up'?" a voice asked behind her.

Sam turned around to see Vivian Johnson walk over to her. "Vivian!"

"Sam, Jack, Elena, where have you been? How long have you been waiting for us to 'show up'?"

"For at least thirty minutes," replied Elena.

"Well, we've been waiting for you in the waiting room for thirty minutes!" exclaimed Vivian.

"Why didn't you bother calling us?" asked Jack.

"I didn't think you'd have your phone on you," said Vivian. "I thought maybe you lost it in the flood or something." She saw the CSI team standing beside Sam. "Who are you talking to?"

"We're the CSI investigators that work for the NYPD," Mac quickly answered. "There's not enough time to reintroduce everyone, though."

"Vivian, where are you going?" asked Sam, with concern in her voice. "Jack, Elena, and I are going to Chicago, so…"

"Chicago, thank God, I thought I was the only one," said Vivian.

"Are the others coming with you?"

Vivian nodded. Sam let out a sigh of relief. _They're lucky to have their team all go to the same place, _Stella thought. Would the rest of the CSI team accompany her and Mac to Chicago as well?

"I was going to go to Miami, but Malone and Spade talked me out of it," said Elena.

"At least we'll all be together," said Samantha. She turned to Lindsay. "Do you want to come to Chicago with us?"

Stella knew why she had asked her that. Samantha Spade must being helping Lindsay figure out if she was Paige Hobson or not. If she came with them to Chicago, Lindsay would be able to keep in touch with the FBI agent. If she decided not to go with them, her chances of figuring out who she really was would be hard.

"I don't know, like I said before," Lindsay answered. "I could go to Montana, where I grew up…"

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" asked Sam.

Jack nodded his approval.

Lindsay and Samantha walked over to the little waiting area she had been sitting at a few minutes ago. Samantha took a seat; Lindsay decided to stay standing. "Paige, you have to come to Chicago with us. If you don't, I won't be able to stay in contact with you and help you find out your identity."

Lindsay was fighting back tears. "I don't think I want to know who I am anymore." She paused. "Every night since you found Stella I've been crying myself to sleep. Today, I cried in the lab twice, without anyone knowing about it. I can't face the truth; I need to get away from it."

"You can't hide from the truth Paige," said Samantha, taking Lindsay's hand to have her sit down. "I know it's a scary thought to think that you may not be Lindsay Monroe or Paige Hobson. But you can't ignore it forever; you'll have to find out sooner or later. Otherwise, you'll just keep crying and won't be able to focus on what's important."

Lindsay lowered her head. "I wrote my name on a bathroom stall in the lab. I wrote, "Paige Hobson, Thursday, March 27, 2008." I wanted someone to find out my story, share my feelings. But with the storm, no one will find the signature, since the building will probably be gone by the time I leave New York."

Samantha put her hand on Lindsay's chin and raised her head. "That was a good thing that you did back there. I'm glad you want to make the step to having more people know about your story. But I think it's a good idea that you give yourself a little time before making your story public." Lindsay wiped a tear from her face. "Can you do one thing for me and try not to cry anymore today? I don't want you to have to worry about this right now."

Samantha took her hand off Lindsay's chin and waited for her reply. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I'll come to Chicago with you."

Samantha blinked her gratitude, and they went to join the others. "Have you guys decided where you are heading to?" she asked as she walked up to the group.

Sid spoke up first. "I would love to go to Chicago with you guys, but I'm planning on going to Denver. I have relatives there."

"Me too," said Adam.

"You have relatives in Denver?" questioned Sid. "Maybe I should invite them over for Thanksgiving one time."

Mac laughed at that, Sid had invited him over for Thanksgiving once so he wouldn't have to spend the holidays alone.

"Ah, thanks for the offer Sid, but I was agreeing to the fact that I'd love to go to Chicago with the others," explained Adam. "I was thinking about heading back to Phoenix."

Stella remembered that Adam had come from Phoenix; he hated the cold weather, especially snow, and considered temperatures below eighty five degrees cold. She wondered how Adam had been able to make it through the winter of New York, since it had been a long, cold winter the previous year.

Lindsay turned to Danny. "Where are you going to go?"

"I'm coming wherever you go," he replied. "Lindsay, I couldn't leave you behind. I would be devastated."

"You know I don't like you, right?" she asked him.

"I know, but I still can't leave you go somewhere by yourself," said Danny.

"Flack and Hawkes, you're the last two that haven't said where you are going to fly to," said Mac.

"Chicago's fine with me," Hawkes replied. "I don't know about Flack…"

"Hey, I'm all for Chicago too!" exclaimed Flack.

"So we've got a lot of people heading for Chicago," Samantha concluded. "I guess we'll be seeing you on the flight."

Mac nodded. "You should make your way to the waiting area; the rest of us will get our flights."

The CSI team said their goodbyes to Jack, Samantha, Elena, and Vivian. Then they said their goodbyes to Adam and Sid, who would not be accompanying them to Chicago. Stella hugged both Adam and Sid; she would miss having them around. Mac gave both of them a formal handshake and wished them well in their new homes. Danny and Hawkes talked to them for a minute or two, then said goodbye. And Flack, well, he does what Flack does, which in pretty much say goodbye and good luck. Then he waved to them and went back over to join Danny and Hawkes.

Lindsay stayed farther away from the group; she just nodded her head to Adam and Sid. Stella wanted to push her over there to at least say something to the two of them, since she would never see them again. But Stella didn't want to even try; she might end up getting in an argument with Lindsay because she was so…well how did Lindsay put it again? She seemed too dark and gloomy. In other words, she seemed too depressed to talk to anyone expect Samantha.

When they were done saying their goodbyes to Adam and Sid, they walked over to the end of the line for a United Airlines flight. The wait was only about ten minutes long and soon they were checked in for the eight o'clock flight for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The six CSI investigators made their way to security, where once again, they met up with Jack and the others. Stella's eyes widened when she saw the line for security.

"At least you only checked us in for one bag, Jack," said Elena.

And that was when Stella first saw the bag Samantha was clutching so tightly. _What does she have in there?_ Stella thought. _Could it possibly have something to do with Lindsay being Paige Hobson? _She didn't bother asking, she couldn't let the FBI agent know that she had figured out about Lindsay being two people. She walked alongside Mac as they made their way through the security line.

"Thank God that was quicker than the last time I went through security!" exclaimed Vivian.

"You should have heard about the prank Malone pulled on Sam," said Elena.

"Yeah, he made me wait through a line for thirty minutes after he had booked a flight for me to learn a thing or two about manners," Samantha explained.

"She was going to try to get ahead of everyone in line because she was a FBI agent," said Jack. "I wanted her to wait in line like everyone else."

Stella laughed at that, she knew Mac would have made her do the same thing if she had tried to pull off the whole, "I'm a CSI investigator, so you should let me get my ticket first," thing. When it got silent again, she decided to ask, "Where's our gate?"

"C4, thank God we don't have to walk that far," replied Samantha.

Stella was glad for that too, but she knew that it would be a long wait before the flight actually left. She looked at one of the clocks in the hallway. It was only five thirty, and they still had two hours to wait in the storm.

_The CSIs and FBIs have made it safely to the airport. Will the others be as lucky? Well, we'll find out what happened to the doctors later, but first we should see how Lilly is doing..._


	11. Lilly's Decision

_Thank you iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! And thank you to all who put this story on alerts and their favorite stories lists!_

Chapter Eleven: Lilly's Decision

Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania

Lilly watched as Scotty left. _Chicago? _She thought. _Why would he go to Chicago?_ Chicago seemed so far away from Philadelphia, she didn't know how Scotty could cope with being so far from the city he knew. Even worse, she would have to make a choice of leaving soon, before the storm reached Philly. The TV flashed a warning across the screen.

Warning: Hurricane Arthur is a Category 5 hurricane and is now forty five hours away from the east coast. This storm is capable of producing tornados, severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding. The storm is gaining speed and may reach the coast sooner than predicted hours. SO NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE!! Evacuation is mandatory and if it is necessary that you have to stay where you are, board up windows, stock up on food and drinking water, and shelter above highest predicated tide level or stay on highest level of home.

Lilly couldn't stay in the storm, Scotty was right. The storm would claim thousands of lives, and if she didn't act now, she would get caught in the middle of it. She went looking for her team members. When she saw Detective Nick Vera sitting at his desk, looking through paperwork, she called to him. "Nick!"

He looked up. "What is it, Rush?"

"Are you going to evacuate or stay here?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Well, there's no way I am," a voice said. Lilly saw that Detective Kat Miller had walked over to stand next to her. "I was just coming to tell you that I was leaving now."

"Where are you going to go?" asked Lilly.

"Las Vegas, Nevada baby!" she exclaimed.

Nick laughed and Lilly asked, "In the time of evacuation, you pick to go to Las Vegas?"

"Why not?" questioned Kat. "There's nothing wrong with Las Vegas."

"You'll be broke before the day ends when you get there," said Nick.

"I'm not stupid, Nick," said Kat. "I have family there, so they'll be there to make sure I don't spend all of my money in one place. I wouldn't spend all my money gambling anyway."

Lilly turned back to Nick. "So, where are you going?"

"I wasn't into the whole idea of leaving, but now I know that I don't have much of a choice. But to answer your question Lilly, I'll be heading to Utah, Salt Lake City, to be exact."

Lilly nodded. So far, no one was departing to Chicago except Scotty. She was pondering on whether or not she should go to Chicago.

Kat turned to Lilly. "Where are going, Rush?"

"Me?" Lilly questioned nervously. "Um, I haven't exactly decided yet. I was thinking about Chicago, though…"

"Did Valens talk you into it?" questioned Kat.

"How did you know he was going there?"

"He told me this morning." Kat walked over to Nick. "Shouldn't you think about leaving and stop doing your paperwork?"

"Yeah, I'm actually getting ready to leave now," Nick agreed, getting up from his seat. "Rush, until we see each other again, I wish you well on your flight to Chicago." He strolled down to the doorway and left Kat and Lilly alone.

Kat smiled to her and said, "Keep in touch, okay? I hope to see you again."

Lilly watched as she left. Everyone seemed to be pushing her to go to Chicago, but even that didn't help her make her decision. She was now watching all her friends leave, and she speculated on if she'd ever see them again.

She walked over to her desk to start gathering her things. Lieutenant John Stillman and Detective Will Jeffries passed by. "Hey," she said to them.

"Hey yourself," said Will. "You sound down. What's the matter?"

"Everyone is leaving Will, and I don't know where to go," Lilly explained.

"If it helps, I'll tell you where I'm going," said Will.

Lilly looked up and waited for his answer.

"Columbus, Ohio," he told her.

"Should I bother asking where you're going, John?"

"I would have loved to stay here," replied John. "But I've decided to evacuate to St. Paul, Minnesota. You know, Lil, you could accompany one of us to our destinations, if you wanted."

"I would come, but I think I've figured out where to go now," she said. "Have a good flight, okay? I'll try to call you, see if we could meet up some time again."

"Okay," said Will. "I will make sure to keep in touch."

"Me too," agreed John.

The last of her friends left her in the building, leaving her to make her own decisions. Lilly sighed and turned off her computer. "Chicago, it'll be."

_Lilly has finally come to her decision to go to Chicago with Scotty. Don't worry; Scotty will be meeting up with Lilly in the airport in chapters to come! Hope you enjoyed it! _


	12. Where to Go?

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, StoryDreamer, and Wizard-in-Disguise for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! This chapter is about House. Enjoy!_

_Warning: Slight spoilers for the episode "Airborne" if you didn't see the episode already_

Chapter Twelve: Where to Go?

Newark International Airport, New Jersey

Cuddy hurried inside the airport, with the others following her. The cab ride seemed to take so long, but of course with the flooding in the streets she was surprised that they had even made it this far. After her dispute with Thirteen she made sure that she stayed far away from her and her impudent remarks.

Cuddy looked at the long crowds consuming the airport lobby. She turned to the team and asked the long awaited question. "Where are we to go?"

"Wherever you go," Thirteen snapped, "I'm not coming with you."

Cuddy shrugged off her comment. "Does anyone have a suggestion?"

"Anywhere with a beach," said Wilson. "And somewhere that actually had nice weather."

"We aren't here to pick a vacation spot," Cameron pointed out. "We have to evacuate somewhere where we can make a living."

"Who said you couldn't make a living somewhere on a beach?" questioned Wilson. "Besides, I haven't heard a suggestion from you yet."

Cameron turned to Chase. "Do you want to go to Australia? That way, we'd be far away from House and his team…"

"Hey, I might come from that area, but that doesn't mean I would go live there," said Chase.

"I wouldn't mind going there," remarked Thirteen. "I would be miles away from _all _of you."

_I wouldn't mind going there myself, _Cuddy thought. _That way, I'd be away from Thirteen. _But even that thought didn't make her want to go out of country.

"How about going to England, the United Kingdom?" House questioned, putting on a little British accent.

"I'm not going out of country," said Cuddy. "Sorry, it won't do."

House shrugged. "Fine. But I couldn't see you doing well out of country anyway."

Cuddy turned her head to the sound of thunder outside. Wherever they were going, they would have to make their decisions fast, or else they would get stuck in the airport with the storm. She walked over to one of the TVs showing the arriving and departing flights. Reading through the list she saw that many of the flights coming in to New Jersey had been cancelled because of the worsening weather.

"Chicago," Cameron said suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at her. "Why would you want to go there?" Thirteen asked.

"Well, you said you aren't coming with us," said Cameron. "So why bothering asking me that question? Or have you had a change of heart and suddenly want to accompany us there?"

Thirteen glared at her. "I_ know_ where I'm going, thank you very much."

"Which is where? To New York City to head back into the storm?" questioned Cameron.

Thirteen shook her head and stalked away from the group. Cameron had once again defeated Thirteen, how many more times would she decide to pick a fight with her? Cuddy wished that she could have told her off, she had made herself look like a fool in front of House and his staff back at the hospital. It seemed as if Thirteen was her boss, and Cuddy was the one in House's staff, losing her position of power. Cuddy shook away the thought and turned to look at Cameron.

"Chicago's not a bad idea," she agreed. "It doesn't look like any of the flights going there are delayed."

"When's the earliest flight leave?" asked Chase.

Cuddy glanced over at the TV again. "Seven forty five," she replied.

"Its five forty five right now, so we should have enough time to get our boarding passes and get through security," Wilson agreed. "That gives us about two hours."

"Well, House, are you going to come with us?" questioned Cameron.

"Might," said House. He turned to Foreman.

"I might as well come," said Foreman with a shrug. "I would have gone to New York, but of course the hurricane will destroy the city, so looks like that idea isn't going to work."

"Are you in to join us, Taub and Kutner?" asked Cameron.

"Sure, why not?" Kutner asked. "A new city, new life, it will be kind of interesting."

Taub let out a sigh as he realized it was his turn to choose. "I'll come," he said. "I wouldn't have a clue as to where else to go."

Cuddy smiled. As much as she hated being around House and the others, she was glad to know that they would accompany her on the trip. It would almost be unimaginable to think that she may never see them again. But what she would never see again was Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, the place where she had worked for so many years. She turned to House as she remembered that he hadn't given a definite answer to if he was going to Chicago or not. "House," she began.

"Chicago it is," he quickly answered.

House limped over to a Continental Airlines line, for he had left the wheelchair back at the hospital long ago. Cuddy remembered the last time she had flow on a flight with House; they had been coming back to the United States from Singapore, where they had been speakers at an international conference. The flight had been a nightmare; one of the passengers had been ill, with symptoms of meningitis, and many others on the flight had started to show the same symptoms. Cuddy had demanded for the plane to turn around, but House insisted everything would be all right.

When she had gotten ill herself, House had to find out what was wrong without his team of doctors. Of course he found three people to replace Cameron, Chase, and Foreman; at that time they had been working for House, and tried to run a differential diagnosis with them. His team had consisted of a thirteen year old kid, a guy who didn't understand English, and a woman who had a very bad temper.

Cuddy had thought that they would never make it back to the US alive, but in the end, the guy just had the bends, and the passengers on the plane had convinced themselves that they were sick. Now she hoped that a passenger wouldn't get sick on their flight to Chicago, and if the flight attendant said they needed a doctor, she would make sure to hand the job over to House's new staff.

They got their boarding passes, made their way through security, and went to sit in the waiting area, A2. With two hours to wait, Cuddy hoped their flight to Chicago-O'Hare didn't get delayed. One questioned still remained in her mind: _Where had Thirteen decided to go?_

Newark International Airport, Terminal A

"I'd like a flight to Chicago, please," Thirteen told the person at the check in desk.

"Okay," the guy answered. He was quick to give her ticket to her, and in a matter of minutes she was on her way through security.

With a smile on her face she whispered, "The team will still be seeing plenty of me."

_Dun, dun, dun...Thirteen will still be causing trouble for the team. What will she have in store for them? Later chapters will reveal these answers..._


	13. Disruptions

_Thank you to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing. This chapter is about Amber so if you find it funny, that's great, if you don't, that's okay too. I didn't find this chapter that interesting myself, so it's okay if you don't like it...I promise the next chapter will be much better. (The next chapter is about CSI: NY.)_

Chapter Thirteen: Disruptions

Flight from Newark International Airport to Miami International Airport

Amber closed her eyes and tried to think of the beaches in Florida. She couldn't stand her seat; the two guys sitting next to her wouldn't shut their mouths. She knew the flight wouldn't land until seven forty five, and right now it was only five fifty. There were only about two hours left, but she didn't know how much more she could take.

"In your face, I beat you again!" the guy sitting next to her exclaimed.

"No, I beat you, what are you talking about?" asked his friend, obviously younger than the guy sitting next to her.

She had had to deal with the two guys yelling about who had won their stupid PSP game. The flight attendant had to come over and tell them to be quiet a few times. Of course she didn't ask Amber if she wanted to change seats, she didn't even think twice about her. One time, she had come up and asked her, "Are you related to them?"

Amber had quickly replied, "No. I don't even know them."

And how could the flight attendant think she was related to those idiots? She was crazy to even think that Amber was related to them.

"I won," the guy said.

"No, if you could read, maybe you could see that my score is higher than yours!" exclaimed the guy's friend.

Amber was tired of this. She got up from her seat, not even checking to see if the seatbelt sign was off and yelled to the guy's friend, "Who cares about who won your stupid game! How about you two just read a magazine?"

"Um, miss," a voice said.

"What?" Amber questioned angrily, turning around to see it was the flight attendant.

"Could you please sit down? I've asked your friends to be quiet and now you're disturbing the passengers with your yelling."

"Well, you know what?" asked Amber. "I demand a change in seats. If not, I'll go march up to the pilot and make him turn this plane back around, into the direct path of the hurricane!"

The flight attendant shook her head. "Please sit down."

Amber glared at her and then sat down. _Just one of the many idiots on this plane, _she thought. The guy sitting next to her was staring at her. "What do you want?"

"Maybe you should take your anger out on the game," he said, handing her his PSP.

"Maybe you should go throw this stupid thing in the ocean when you get to Miami," said Amber.

"Just try the game," the guy insisted.

Amber looked at the guy and then said, "Fine, I'll try playing your stupid PSP game one time. Then, you better make sure you never talk to me again."


	14. Remembering

_Disclaimer: I might as well add one for the song…I do not own the song "Raindrops" by Regina Spektor_

_Warning: Slight spoilers for "Endgame" and "Showdown" Without a Trace Episodes._

_A/N: If you've ever seen those two episodes, it might make more sense on where I got the whole 'double identity' thing with Lindsay. If you haven't seen either of these episodes, you should check them out! You can see a few clips of "Endgame" on YouTube, though I can't exactly remember what you have to search under to get them. If you want to see the clips, just message me and I'll tell you where you can find them!_

Chapter Fourteen: Remembering

LaGuardia Airport, Waiting room, C4

Lindsay stared out the window from where she was sitting, not even realizing that Danny had said something to her.

"Lindsay, wake up!" he exclaimed.

"What?" she asked him.

He took something out of his pocket. "I managed to save this from the storm."

Lindsay took the object from him; it was the MP3 player he had gotten for her birthday last year. "Danny, that's real sweet of you, but it's not going to get me to like you."

"I know," said Danny. "I just thought you'd want it back."

She turned it on and scrolled through her list of songs. "When did you find this?"

"Well, remember when you came to save me from the flood waters just before we left the New York Crime Lab? I had gone to the locker room, found it sitting on one of the benches, and retrieved it before the flood waters could wash it away."

"Danny, you're an idiot, you know that? You could have gotten yourself killed from trying to save such a useless piece of junk." Lindsay paused for a second. "But thank you anyway."

"Do you have that song you sang last week on there?" asked Danny.

"No," replied Lindsay. "But I do have another song by Regina Spektor on here."

"How about singing it?" asked Danny. "It'll help pass time."

"I'm not going to sing a song to pass time, stupid," said Lindsay.

"Come on, why not? You have a beautiful voice."

Lindsay shook her head. "Stop the flattery, Danny. I don't like you."

Danny got up from the seat next to her and cleared his throat. "I would like for all of you to know that Miss Monroe here would like to perform a song…"

"Shut up," said Lindsay. "Not in front of all these people…"

Samantha spoke up next. "I think that would be a good idea, Lindsay. Your performance was amazing last time."

Lindsay shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't know…"

Stella, who was sitting next to her on her left, gave Lindsay a prod with her elbow. "Come on Lins, it's not like there's that many people."

"There are plenty of people over there," Lindsay said, nodding with her head to the waiting area across from theirs. "They could hear me."

"But your voice is amazing!" exclaimed Danny. "They would only cheer you on!"

Lindsay looked down to the floor and then back at Danny. "Fine, I'll sing one song."

The CSI investigators and the FBI agents applauded. She hadn't even started her song yet and they were already cheering. "Since it's raining outside, I'll sing "Raindrops", by Regina Spektor." Lindsay put her earphones on, turned on the song, and began to sing.

_You don't know but that's okay_

_You might find me anyway_

_Don't you know that I_

_Belong arm in arm with you, baby_

_In a town that's cold and gray_

_We will have a sunny day_

_Don't you know that I _

_Belong arm in arm with you, baby, baby_

_I do not know_

_Where does it go?_

_When it goes_

_Suddenly though_

_Everything's slow_

_And I miss you so_

_Round each corner there's a chance_

_People searching glance to glance_

_Moving about really fast_

_Like insects and fish when they're scared_

_And they sing the same old song_

_Though it's been so very long_

_They sing, raindrops falling on my head_

_But that doesn't mean that I am dead_

_And I do not know_

_Where does it go?_

_When it goes _

_Suddenly though_

_Everything's slow_

_And I miss you so_

_You don't know but that's okay_

_You might find me anyway_

_Don't you know that I_

_Belong arm in arm with you, baby_

_In a town that's cold and gray_

_We will have a sunny day_

_Don't you know that I_

_Belong arm in arm with you, baby, baby_

_Baby, baby_

Lindsay looked around as the CSI investigators and FBI agents applauded for her performance. Danny was smiling at her and applauding the loudest. "That was amazing Montana, truly amazing!"

"I told you to stop calling me that," she reminded him.

"Lindsay, that was great," Samantha complimented.

"See?" said Stella besides her. "Was that so hard at all?"

"No," Lindsay admitted.

Danny sat back down in his seat next to her. "Don't you know that I…"

Lindsay knocked Danny in the arm with her elbow as she realized he was going to repeat a line from the song. No, she wasn't going to hug him. She wasn't even going to give into him; she didn't like at all anymore. But she knew he would keep trying, no matter how many times she said no.

"Hey, is anyone hungry?" asked Samantha. "I for one am _starving_."

"Food sounds good to me," said Stella. "Maybe we can find a Greek restaurant."

"I highly doubt that," said Mac. "Airports don't usually go fancy on their restaurants."

"Some do," said Stella. "But if the closest restaurant to our gate is fast food, then it'll have to do."

Vivian was looking at a map of the airport. "According to the map it says there are three different fast food restaurants near our gate. There's a Subway, a Wendy's, and a Burger King."

"What about a Cinnabon?" Elena asked. "I could really go for a cinnamon bun right now."

"Surprisingly, there is one," said Vivian.

Martin Fitzgerald got up from his seat. "Danny and I will go get the food. But first, I need to know what everyone's ordering."

Elena of course asked for cinnamon bun, nothing else. Mac and Stella decided on Subway's roast beef sandwiches for something healthy, while Danny on the other hand asked for a Triple Stack Combo from Wendy's. Vivian just asked for water, saying that she would wait for the snacks that they got on the airplane.

Danny turned to look at Hawkes, who was playing a game of solitaire. "When did you have time to get a deck of cards?"

"I had them in my pocket when we left the crime lab," he replied. "I was playing a game of solitaire in the break room. I arrived to work early this morning."

Danny shook his head. "Do want anything to eat?"

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry," said Hawkes. He turned to Flack. "Hey, Flack do you want to get off the phone for a minute and tell us what you want to eat?"

Flack signaled with his hand to tell him to be quiet. A second later, he hung up and turned to Hawkes. "My folks in California called to make sure I was okay. And to answer your question Hawkes, I'll just have a Pepsi."

Martin nodded and beckoned Danny Taylor with his hand to follow him. When the two were gone, Samantha got up from her seat. "Hey Lindsay, do you want anything? Martin never asked you if you wanted something."

Lindsay looked up at her. "A salad and water will be fine, thanks." She watched Samantha leave, her walking slightly unsteady. Lindsay shook her head. When she turned to look at Danny, his movements seemed slow and unsteady. "Danny, are you okay?"

"Of course," he said. "Why?"

"Um, I…I just thought I'd ask." She looked away from him and closed her eyes. A pain throbbed in her head, causing her to drop the MP3 player she held in her hands.

Stella glanced at her. "Lindsay, are feeling all right?"

She opened her eyes. "I'm fine, really." She moved in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. When she did, she closed her eyes and was able to rest for the first time that week without crying.

* * *

"Is she all right?" a voice asked.

Her senses came back to her and she knew that voice had been Samantha's. She didn't bother opening her eyes; she knew the others had returned from getting the food. She tried to forget the pain that was throbbing in her head, but it had only gotten worse during the time she had been asleep. She let out a deep, shaky breath.

"Lindsay," a voice whispered, most likely Stella's. "I need you to tell me if you're all right."

"It's just a headache, that's all," replied Lindsay. "Nothing I can't deal with." She could definitely deal with that, being two different people was what threw her off guard. She had just dreamt about being Paige, getting arresting after shooting _him. _The scene replayed in her head, her walking down the street, shooting General Gamba, and then the FBI agents taking her away to jail. She wished that part was actually a dream, but that had happened just three years ago, during her disappearance.

Everything was coming back to her now, and she couldn't stand it. She didn't want to remember any of that. She let out another deep, shaky breath. Then the image of Julia Gomez, a girl she had taught, found dead in an alley, appeared in her head. And then there was Adisa Teno, the guy who she thought would always love her and be with her. But he ended up dead, getting shot by Emil Dornvald when he was being transported to another jail in New York.

Who was she? Was that the past she would always remember, being Paige Hobson? Or would she remember the past of being Lindsay Monroe? Then the image of her witnessing her friends' murder at sixteen came into her head and then having to testify against the killer in court only a year ago. At that time, she had been Lindsay Monroe. And now, she was Lindsay/Paige. She couldn't take it, she wanted to know the truth, but would knowing the truth change her more than how she had changed now?

She opened her eyes. "Actually, I think I'm coming down with something. I'm not sure if I want to eat anything now."

Samantha gave her a concerned look, but said nothing. Danny, still sitting besides her asked, "Do you want to lie down?"

"I think that would be a good idea," agreed Samantha.

Lindsay tried to look at Samantha, but she couldn't focus on her. Her vision was blurry, making it even harder to focus on the floor beneath her feet. In a quiet whisper she replied, "Yes."

She got up from her chair, both Danny and Samantha accompanying her during her walk. It had been a short distance to walk, but Lindsay could barely keep one foot in front of the other. She lay down on a chair near the windows in the waiting area, wishing to be anywhere but at the airport.

"Danny, can you stay with Lindsay?" asked Samantha. "If anything happens, give a shout out to me, okay?"

"I will," replied Danny. He sat down next to her.

_Ugh_, Lindsay thought. _Why was she making Danny sit next to me? I've had enough of his trying to get me to like him again stuff. _A chill ran through her body, making her shiver. Danny responded and put his coat on her.

"I don't want you to get cold," he told her.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Samantha looked at the two and nodded. Then she went back over to join the others. Lowering her voice, she said, "What do you think made her feel sick?"

"Food," Flack suggested.

Samantha shook her head. "She didn't have any food, remember? She didn't even touch her salad."

"Maybe she's afraid of being up in a plane," Mac suggested. "She could have gotten herself worried about it now, causing to make herself sick."

"Two hours before the flight?" questioned Jack. "No, that wouldn't happen."

"Maybe she's afraid of the airport!" exclaimed Martin. "She could be airport-phobic."

Samantha turned to him. "Where do you get that idea, Martin?"

Martin shrugged.

"I don't know many people who are airport-phobic," said Samantha. "I don't believe that's an actual phobia."

"It might be," said Martin.

"Lindsay could be seriously ill, and all you guys can talk about is if there's such a thing called airport-phobia?" questioned Stella.

Right at the mention of her name, Lindsay called out. "Samantha!"

She came rushing to her side. "What is it?"

"It's my stomach," Lindsay replied in a weak voice.

Samantha turned around to look at the others. Stella got up from her seat and demanded, "What's wrong? What's happening to her?"

_You like? Hope it was better than the last chapter...next part will be about Cold Case!_


	15. Together We'll Be

_Thank you iluvcsi4ever, Wizard-in-Disguise, crazypeoplearemypeople, and lily moonlight for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the last two chapters! _

Chapter Fifteen: Together We'll Be

Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania

Lilly hurried down the hall. "Scotty!"

He turned around in surprise. "Lilly, what are you doing here?"

"I'm coming to Chicago with you," she answered.

Scotty looked behind her. "Did anyone else on the team come with you?"

She stopped smiling. "You sound a little disappointed that I came by myself."

"No," said Scotty. "I thought you wouldn't come to Chicago. You didn't seem convinced to leave Philly when I last saw you."

"I couldn't stay in the storm," Lilly explained. "But it still sounds like your saying that you wished I hadn't shown up."

"Lil, that's not true," said Scotty. "I'm glad that you came. I won't feel so alone now."

Lilly hugged him. "I'm glad I came too. When I heard everyone was leaving, I knew I had to go to Chicago. If I didn't, I would feel like I lost all of my friends."

They started walking towards their gate. "So, where are the others going?" asked Scotty.

"Kat's going to Las Vegas, Nick's heading to Salt Lake City, Will's going to Columbus, and John's evacuating to St. Paul."

"Everyone is evacuating all over the country," said Scotty. "But Kat's going to Vegas?"

"I was surprised too," agreed Lilly. "She has family there and she said she wouldn't gamble all her money away on the first day, so I think she's going to be fine."

She looked up at a sign and saw that they were in Terminal A, on the east side of the building. "Where's our gate? I haven't looked at the boarding pass yet, I was afraid I wouldn't get through security without being late…"

"A9, you haven't looked at your boarding pass yet?"

"No," Lilly admitted. She took her ticket out and looked at it. "But now I have."

Scotty shook his head. "Come on, the gate's not that far away. And the flight leaves at seven twenty five, just to answer your next question."

"I wasn't going to ask that," said Lilly.

Scotty looked at Lilly and smiled. "Of course you weren't. You were just going to ask me where we were going."

Lilly laughed. "Scotty, if I didn't know where we were going, then I wouldn't even be here."

They walked the rest of the way to their gate in silence. Lilly thought about how it would be like in Chicago, what the city was like, if the weather was warm or cold. She would have to explore some of the city's attractions when she got there, maybe even go out to eat with Scotty. But then one thought popped in her mind: Where would she work? She could possibly apply for a job as a detective, working cold cases like she had been doing. But would it be that easy, working with different people, being in a different city?

And would Scotty work with her or would he apply for a different job? When they got to their gate and sat down, she decided to ask the question. "Scotty?"

"Yes, what is it?" he asked.

"Are you still going to work as a detective when you get to Chicago?"

"Of course," replied Scotty. "I couldn't imagine working a different job. What about you?"

Lilly shrugged. "I will probably work as a detective. But it won't be the same, without the others, you know?"

"I understand," said Scotty. He paused for a moment. "But we'll still work together."

Lilly looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, we'll still work together."

_Lilly and Scotty are finally together at the airport. Yay! Now, we'll check back in on Lindsay and the others in New York..._


	16. More Arguments

_Thank you to iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, and StoryDreamer for reviewing!_

Chapter Sixteen: More Arguments

LaGuardia Airport, Waiting Room, C4

Lindsay stared at Stella.

"What's wrong?" she asked again.

"Stomachache, that's all," replied Samantha. "She should be…"

"Don't say she's going to be all right!" Stella exclaimed. "She's sick! Now, instead of standing there and reassuring me that she is going to be all right, how about you go get a doctor, or someone here at the airport that can take a look at her?"

Samantha nodded. "Fine, I'll go get help. For the meantime, you can stay with Lindsay and make sure she stays where she is while I'm gone. Danny, you can come with me." She stalked past Stella, accidentally bumping into her shoulder.

Stella turned around to glare at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Samantha.

Danny shrugged behind her and walked off.

Stella came to Lindsay's side and sat down next to her. She slouched down in her seat, crossed her arms, obviously disgusted with Samantha's attitude.

Lindsay struggled to talk. "You know, it's not her fault that I'm sick."

"Yeah, maybe next time you could be careful at not catching something," said Stella.

Lindsay was surprised at the tone of Stella's voice. "It's not my fault I'm sick either! It's not like I knew this was going to happen!"

Stella gave her a long stare, filled with the anger she was feeling. "What happened to you Miss 'Dark and Gloomy'? The week before I disappeared, you would always make jokes and be in a happy mood. After I was found, you turned into someone who thinks the world is your enemy and there's nothing to look forward to in life. You're not the 'someone' I used to know."

Lindsay wanted to yell, "You don't understand! You never will," but she couldn't let her know anything about Paige Hobson or even let her get a clue that something was wrong. Instead, she said, "Maybe I have changed. I guess you just don't like change when it comes to people."

"No, Lindsay, there's something that you're not telling me," said Stella. "And you obviously don't mind telling that FBI agent, but you mind telling me."

"You don't need to know everything about my life!" exclaimed Lindsay.

"Ladies, what's going on?" a voice asked.

Lindsay looked up to see the doctor.

"I don't know," said Stella. "Maybe you should try asking Lindsay herself." She got up from her seat and walked back over to Mac.

"What was that about?" asked Danny.

Samantha signaled Danny to be quiet. "Lindsay, this is Dr. Coleman, she'll be asking you a few questions, and based on your answers, she'll be able to tell if you're seriously ill or not."

_Great, _Lindsay thought. _I'll feel like I'm being interrogated for being sick._ Lindsay sat up straight, which was almost impossible to do when the room felt like it was spinning. The doctor studied her face, and then put her hand on her forehead. "You have a fever," she reported. "Have you had any stress at work lately?"

"No," Lindsay lied. "It's just this storm that put stress on me, but that was mostly before I got here." It wasn't entirely a lie; the storm had caused her stress, with the preparation. The thing that was really giving her stress was the Paige Hobson case. But she knew she couldn't tell the doctor that, it would give away half of her identity to a total stranger.

"And you haven't been sick with anything these last past weeks, have you?"

"No," replied Lindsay with a cough.

"Have you eaten anything today?" asked Dr. Coleman.

"A small breakfast, just two pieces of toast," said Lindsay.

The doctor nodded. "How do you feel right now?"

"I have a terrible headache and stomachache," replied Lindsay.

"Sounds like you have symptoms of the flu," the doctor concluded. She walked over to where Samantha and Danny were waiting. "It's the flu, nothing serious."

"So she's not that sick," said Samantha.

Even though Lindsay could barely hear what she was saying, she knew that that comment had been aimed at Stella. She lay down again, closing her eyes and letting sleep get the best of her.

"She can't go on the plane like that," Stella pointed out rudely. "Whoever sits next to her could catch it too and then we would have to deal with two sick people, with the possibility of a third person becoming ill!"

"Whoever sits next to her will have to be careful," said Samantha. She turned back to the doctor. "Thanks for your help."

The doctor nodded and walked away from the room. Samantha went to sit back down next to Jack, while Danny hurried over to Lindsay's side. The room was silent for a while, but then Stella sought out another attempt to make an argument with Samantha. "It's a three hour flight, how do you think she's going to make it through that long of a flight?"

"I don't know, maybe you'll have to sit next to her and have to look after her yourself," said Samantha.

"There are people trying to sleep!" Mac interrupted the argument. "The least you two can do is to take your argument somewhere where we can't hear it!"

"I will," said Stella. "Spade, may I talk to you over there, in private?"

She didn't wait for a reply, so Samantha got up and walked over to her. She followed Stella until they were by a restroom, out of sight from the others. When they were gone, Vivian asked Jack, "What's wrong with those two?"

"I don't know," Jack admitted.

With an uneasy look behind her, Samantha waited for the question.

"What aren't you telling me about Lindsay?" demanded Stella.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Samantha.

"Oh, I think you know very well about what I'm talking about," said Stella. "So, what's the true story about Lindsay?"

"Detective, there is absolutely nothing I know about Lindsay that you don't," Samantha insisted.

"I'm sure there isn't," said Stella. "This could be something that affects Lindsay's job if I don't know about it. If you could just tell me…"

"There's nothing you need to know about Lindsay!" Samantha snapped. "It's not your job to know her business!"

"And it's not yours either," retorted Stella. "But now you've just admitted that you do know something about Lindsay that I don't."

"Sam? What's going on?" She turned around to see Jack walking over to them. "What are you two arguing about?"

"Nothing anymore," said Stella. She glanced at Samantha and then stalked back to her seat.

Jack gave Samantha a grave look. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, I swear," she replied. "But we've got to keep it quiet about Paige Hobson around her. She seems to know a little something about Paige Hobson herself."

They walked back over to the others and were glad to see Stella talking to someone else. "The hurricane is a Category 5 now and is expected to make landfall in a forty one hours!" exclaimed Flack.

"Hopefully, our flight doesn't get delayed," said Stella, with a quick glance outside the window.

"It shouldn't," said Flack. "The forecast for Chicago is fifty five degrees, clear skies, no showers."

"The flight could get delayed because of the weather here," Stella pointed out. She looked at the information for their United Airlines flight. "The plane is coming from London Heathrow, what a coincidence that not that long ago Mac had been coming from London."

"Yeah, and that whole 333 thing started," said Mac. "And then Peyton…"

"I'm sorry Mac," Stella apologized. "I didn't mean to bring that back up…"

"I'm fine," said Mac. "I have you now, and I'm glad that we're together."

He put his hand around her and Stella put her head on Mac's shoulder. "Thank you Mac, for being there for me."

He smiled. "I'll always be there for you."

Flack rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV. For the first time since they had been at the airport, the thunder started to die down, leaving the rain to knock lightly on the windows surrounding the waiting room. Samantha looked at Lindsay, seeing that she was resting peacefully. She glanced at Martin, who was snoring next to her. "I didn't know Martin snored in his sleep," she whispered to Danny (Taylor).

Danny (Taylor) laughed. "He talks in his sleep too. But it sounded more like mumbling than actual talk."

Samantha smiled and turned to look at the TV. She hoped the time would go by faster and also hoped that Lindsay would get better before they boarded the plane.

_Will Lindsay get better before they leave New York? And will Stella find out more about Paige Hobson? So many questions, so many more chapters to come...hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_A/N: My medical knowledge might be off, so sorry if I make any mistakes or anything._


	17. Help Me

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, StoryDreamer, and lily moonlight for reviewing!_

_A/N: Sorry to disappoint guys, but Lindsay's sickness won't involve a case with House. But there will be a case later on in the story. And I hope I answered your question in my message lily moonlight. I apologize for any confusion. And don't worry StoryDreamer, I don't feel rushed to update my story. Since I have written the entire story already, I will update one chapter everyday or once ever other day if I can. But thanks for telling me that, I did go a little overboard on the updating earlier...anyways, this chapter is about Amber, and again, this chapter isn't my favorite, so I'm going to post another chapter right away after this one. Enjoy, though I think you'll enjoy the next chapter much better._

Chapter Seventeen: Help Me

Flight from Newark International Airport to Miami International Airport

Amber closed her eyes and struggled to stop from yelling out. The two guys sitting next to her were now attempting their luck at 'Being the Next American Idol'. She had had enough of their stupid arguing over who won their PSP game and she did not have the patience to deal with their horrible singing. "Could you please stop singing?" she asked. "You sound terrible."

"Thanks," the guy sitting next to her said sarcastically. "And I'll sing all I want, so shut up."

Amber rolled her eyes and looked to the girl sitting across from her. "Please help me," she mouthed to her.

The girl put down her magazine and gave her a sympathetic look. "If you want to try to cut them out, put on your headphones and listen to the show that's featuring on the TV."

Amber looked up to the television screen. "It looks like some stupid soap opera."

"It is," the girl said. "It's General Hospital."

"Figures," mumbled Amber.

"My name's Sarah," she said, outstretching a hand to shake.

"Amber," replied Amber, reaching out to shake her hand.

The flight attendant walked in front of the two. "Excuse me, but you're blocking the aisle and I need to get through."

Amber knew she was talking to her. "Oh, am I blocking your way? I didn't know. I'm _so_ sorry."

Sarah stifled a laugh.

"I've had enough of you," the flight attendant growled. She waited for Amber to move her hand and then she stormed down the aisle.

"That was funny," said Sarah.

Amber nodded. "Trust me, that won't be the last of her." The guy beside her tried to sing his solo. She looked at Sarah and said, "Excuse me for one moment." Amber put the tray in front of her down and slammed her head down on it.

"I don't think you should do that," said Sarah.

"I know," said Amber. "I'm a doctor, so that's how I know."

"You must not be a very good one," said Sarah. "Most doctors wouldn't slam their head down on a tray…"

"I know!" exclaimed Amber. "I'm angry, can't you tell? That's why I did that." She put the tray back in its upright position. She turned to look at Sarah. "Are you happy now?"

"You aren't," she said. "Now just put your headphones on and listen to the show. You'll feel much happier and won't have to listen to those two guys sing." Amber listened to her and put her headphones on. General Hospital might be boring, but she was glad not to hear the two guys' pathetic singing.

_Next chapter is about House...and I'm not saying General Hospital is a bad show or anything, but I don't even watch the show, so who knows? Maybe it is a bad show! Probably not though..._


	18. Waking Wilson

_Warning: Slight spoilers for episode "Finding Judas"_

Chapter Eighteen: Waking Wilson

Newark International Airport, Waiting Room, A2

The thunder rolled into the distance, making Cameron wince for the tenth time. "Could you stop doing that every time you hear thunder outside?" questioned Chase.

"I'm sorry that I annoy you," said Cameron, shifting to a different position in her chair.

Chase looked at Cameron's shoes, which were on the floor besides her chair. "And could you get your shoes on? It's weird that you even do that."

"You never seem bothered by it when I take them off at the hospital," said Cameron.

Chase shook his head.

"Try walking in heels all day," said Cuddy, who was sitting across from them, right next to House.

"I won't be doing that anytime soon," said Chase.

Cuddy turned to see House staring at her. "What is it House?"

He pointed to his side. "Wilson's sleeping. We should…"

"The weather report!" exclaimed Cameron. When the thunder rolled in the distance again, she only flinched and didn't make any noise.

The weatherman came onto the screen. "Hurricane Arthur is now a Category 5 hurricane. Its approximate time of landfall will be in forty one hours, so evacuate now! This storm will produce tornados, severe thunderstorms, and flash flooding beyond normal levels. The upper east coast is in the red. These states include Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia."

Cuddy glanced at the clock. "Thank God our flight leaves in about an hour."

A loud snore startled her. "It's Wilson," said House.

She looked at Wilson. He was asleep with his elbow rested on the arm of the chair, his head resting on his chin. He had a magazine on his lap, opened up to an article about European travel.

"I still think we should have gone international," said House.

"That would have been the worst suggestion I've heard from you," said Cuddy. "Even your medical theories that you come up with are better suggestions than that. You would never get me to live somewhere out of the United States."

"You'd like other countries if you traveled more often," said House.

"Do you think I have time to travel with my job?" questioned Cuddy.

House shrugged. "I guess not since the only time you've traveled out of country was with me to Singapore."

"And what a flight that was to remember," said Cuddy.

She watched as House changed seats and sat down next to Chase. He looked at him with suspicion, but then shook his head and turned back to Cameron. The mischievous doctor once again had a plan to disturb either the whole team or Wilson. She knew House had a plan to disturb Wilson, since he was sleeping.

Cuddy shook her head and then closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she felt something lightly hit her hair. She opened her eyes and stared sleepily at House. "I know that was you," she said, taking the piece of paper that had hit her out of her hair. "Bother Wilson, he has had his time to sleep. Now, let me have my time."

"But then Wilson will wake up and he'll say the same thing about you," said House. "Besides, you can sleep on the plane."

"I'm sure you'll bother me then somehow," said Cuddy.

Cameron turned her head to look at Wilson. "I have an idea to wake him up," she said. "I'll go over there, say, 'I love you Wilson,' into his ear, and then kiss him on the cheek."

"Are you saying we're over?" questioned Chase.

"No," said Cameron. "It's just a joke we'll play on Wilson." She got up from her chair, walked quietly over to Wilson's side and whispered, "I love you." She leaned into his face and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

Wilson suddenly opened his eyes and gave Cameron a look full of shock. "What the heck Cameron? Why did you just do that?"

"Because I love you," Cameron said with a smile. "Chase and I had a fight. We're over now."

She leaned in to kiss him again, but this time Wilson quickly reacted and pushed her away from him. "Never in a million years will I date you!"

Chase, Cuddy, and House were laughing now, and Cameron was having a hard time trying not to laugh. Cuddy turned to look at Wilson. "Cameron doesn't really like you. She just did that so you would wake up. Part of it was House's idea."

"You!" exclaimed Wilson, pointing to House.

"I wanted to wake you up," explained House. "The whole kiss thing was Cameron's idea."

Wilson gave Cameron a scornful look. Then he noticed that Cameron didn't have any shoes on. "Cameron, would you get your shoes on?"

"Try walking in heels for a full day. Then you'll feel my pain!"

Wilson was about to throw out another comment when House suddenly yelled to Foreman, Kutner, and Taub. "Hey, you three look so far away from the group! You're missing all of the fun over here!"

Foreman looked up from his magazine. Taub whispered to Kutner, "Maybe it's a good thing that we're over here."

"Yeah," Cuddy agreed. "You just missed Cameron kissing Wilson."

"It wasn't kissing, it was a kiss," Wilson corrected.

"Whatever it was," said House, "you are missing all of the fun."

"I'm perfectly fine over here," said Foreman.

"You know what I was thinking?" questioned House. "I was thinking of how much Foreman is absorbed in that magazine and how Kutner and Taub are so close that it looks like they're kissing."

Kutner turned to look at House, while Taub just shook his head. "You know what I was thinking?" questioned Foreman. "I was thinking how madly in love House is with Cuddy."

Cuddy laughed in nervousness, while House replied, "Are you sure, because you sound like you're trying to tell her that you're the one who's madly in love with her."

The others laughed, but Foreman said something else. "I wasn't finished. House might not be madly in love with Cuddy, but Cuddy seems to be the one who is madly in love with you."

Cuddy froze. She didn't like him, she could barely tolerant him! "I would never like House. I would never go out with the complete idiot he is."

"If that's what you say," said Foreman with a shrug. He looked down at his magazine and began to read it.

The others began to talk again, like the comment hadn't even been mentioned. Cuddy looked uneasily at House, then down at the ground. _You don't like him, _she told herself. _He's miserable. It would be a total mistake to even think about liking him._ But as she stared at the ground, she wondered if that thought was wrong.

Out of all of House's friends, she could deal with his impudent remarks and insensitive attitude to others. She knew that he would do anything to help her if she got into trouble, if she ever fell ill, even though he would try hard not to admit that.

She remembered a case from last year, when a girl, her name being Alice was admitted to the hospital with pancreatitis. Alice's divorced parents couldn't decide on how to proceed with her treatment, and after House had taken them to court two times, the judge awarded Cuddy with the guardianship of Alice, so she had to decide on how to proceed with the girl's treatment. She had had to help the girl when she suddenly got a high fever and an increasing heart rate, so Cuddy took her to one of the shower's in the locker room, hoping to help her fever go down. House had followed found her in there, finding her sitting on the floor of the shower, with Alice in her arms. He had told her she would never make a good mother, and that was the only time he had ever made her feel miserable. But during that time, he had reduced access of his Vicodin, so he had been in pain, making his mood even worse than it normally was.

Cuddy wondered if House did like her. She remembered when Edward Volger, who tried to fire House and tried donated one hundred million dollars to the hospital, asked her if she liked House and if that was the reason why she didn't fire him. She had said her reason was because he was a good doctor and he had saved many lives, even if he did disregard the rules of the hospital. But now she wondered if that was half the reason.

She looked up at House and thought she saw him smile at her. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, but she could feel her face get hot as her cheeks turned red.

_Is Cuddy feeling a little love towards House? Hm...wonder if House feels the same way for her..._

_Next chapter is about Cold Case and some feelings will be admitted in that chapter as well!_


	19. Leaving Philly

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, StoryDreamer, crazypeoplearemypeople, and lily moonlight for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed the last two chapters!_

Chapter Nineteen: Leaving Philly

Philadelphia International Airport, Waiting Room, A9

"Hey, I got some coffees for us before our flight starts to board," said Scotty, handing Lilly a coffee and taking a seat next to her.

"Thank you Scotty," Lilly said.

"You're welcome," replied Scotty. He took a sip of his coffee. "Why did you come to Chicago with me?"

"I already answered that question," said Lilly. "I would miss you, and I really had no idea where else to go."

"So since I mentioned Chicago to you first back at work, you decided to go there?"

"I guess," she said with a shrug.

"American Airlines Flight 692 from Philadelphia to Chicago will start boarding with rows 36 through 30," the flight attendant announced over the speaker.

Lilly watched as people got up to board the plane. She was about to say something, but Scotty spoke up first. "Do you like me?"

She looked up at him. "Why would you say that Valens?"

"You accompanied me to Chicago," Scotty replied. "You said you would miss me…Lil, don't lie to me."

She looked at him uncomfortably. She never thought about that, only that they were good friends. She kind of liked him, maybe… She couldn't admit it to herself if she did, and there was no way she could admit to liking him right in front of his face. "Do you feel the same way?" she decided to ask.

The flight attendant interrupted the conversation. "Flight 692 from Philadelphia to Chicago will continue to board with rows 29 through 23."

Scotty stared down at his coffee cup. Lilly bit her lip. She could tell by his reaction that he didn't feel even close to the same way that she did.

"Lilly, I…"

"You don't like me, do you?" questioned Lilly. "I mean, that's fine with me, you don't have to pretend to be polite…"

"No, no, Lil, I do like you," he replied. He paused for a moment and then took her hand. "I like you more than a friend."

Lilly smiled. "I like you more than a friend too."

An eerie silence came between the two. It was weird for her to think that the guy who she had worked with for such a long time had a liking towards her. She felt a little uncomfortable about holding hands with him, and she felt like the people sitting around her were staring at her. She looked up to see if anyone was watching the two, but to her surprise, no one was even paying attention to them. She was startled when the flight attendant came on the speaker to announce that rows 22 through 15 would be the next seats to board.

Scotty stood up from his chair. "I have to go," he explained. "My seat's 17C. They just called my row."

Lilly nodded. "I heard. My seat's 11C, so I'll be boarding the plane next. Have a good flight, Scotty."

"You too," he said, and then he walked over to the line of boarding passengers.

Lilly watched as the line began to lessen and waited for her row to be called to board. She glanced outside, seeing the increasing clouds block the possible chances of seeing her last sunset in Philly. She longed to stay home, but she knew she was making the right choice of leaving to Chicago.

When she heard the flight attendant call her row, she got up from her seat, threw away her coffee, and headed over to the line. She gave her ticket to the flight attendant, who quickly looked at it, wished her a good flight, and then gave the ticket back to her. Then she made her way on to the plane, finding her seat and sitting down. Her seat was by the window, which was nice because she would be able to see the city of Chicago all lit up at night when their flight arrived at ten twenty five, but really nine twenty five their time.

Rain started to fall lightly on the window, showing that the storm was making its progress to Philly. She turned around to see a mother and her daughter, probably eight, come to sit down in their seats. The mother looked at her apologetically and said, "I'm sorry if my daughter makes too much noise on the flight. She may get bored after a while."

Lilly smiled at her. "It's okay, I'm fine with that. I'll probably get bored myself."

The women nodded her thanks. When she and her daughter got settled in, she turned back to Lilly and said, "My name's Sharon and my daughter's name is Emma. It's nice to meet you." She put a hand out to shake.

"Lilly," replied Lilly, shaking Sharon's hand.

"Are you familiar with the Chicago area?" asked Sharon.

"No, actually, my friend is accompanying me, but unfortunately, we didn't get to sit next to each other." Lilly made sure she said 'friend' and not 'boyfriend'. She and Scotty weren't really dating, they had just admitted to liking each other. "He seems to know a little more about the Chicago area than I do."

"We were visiting family," said Sharon. "And then the whole hurricane thing made us leave two weeks earlier than we expected."

"Yeah, that hurricane has surprisingly gotten stronger," agreed Lilly.

"It's a Category 5 now," said Sharon. "It's the worst the east coast has ever seen."

Lilly nodded. The plane soon filled with the last of the passengers, and the plane began to move towards the runway. They had to wait for the long line of planes in front of them, but soon they were off. The plane took off into the air, leaving the Philly soil behind.

Lilly said a silent prayer, wishing the others on her team a good and safe flight, and stared outside the window, trying to remember every building in the city of Philadelphia before it would all slip away.

_Lilly and Scotty are the first of the butch to get away safely from Hurricane Arthur. Will the others be as lucky? We'll have to see...the next chapter will be about CSI: NY!_


	20. Worried Sick

_Thanks to StoryDreamer, iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, and lily moonlight for reviewing! _

Chapter Twenty: Worried Sick

LaGuardia Airport, Waiting Room, C4

Samantha glanced at Lindsay from her seat. She wanted to help her, but she knew she had already done all she could to help her. She noticed Stella was glaring at her, and by the way anger flared in her eyes she could tell she still wanted more out of her. She might be concerned about Lindsay, but Samantha knew that all Stella wanted was answers about who Paige Hobson was and what she had done. She would never give her those answers, she had promised Lindsay never to tell anyone about it.

Stella sighed loudly. That sigh made Samantha want to yell out, "I'm not telling you anything about Paige Hobson, so just forget the idea!" But instead, she replied, "So she's ill. What else do you want me to tell you?"

Stella stared at her for a while, but then said in a whisper, "I believe we could have prevented this."

Before Sam could reply, Mac said, "Samantha wouldn't have known that Lindsay would become sick, and neither would you, Stel. None of us would have known. It would have been hard to prevent Lindsay from becoming sick."

Stella nodded, but she didn't seem convinced.

Thunder sounded outside. Samantha turned to see heavy rain pour down on the runway. Then she glanced at Lindsay again, who was feeling more miserable than ever, worse than the time she had seen her earlier in the day. Instead of her being upset and worried about her real identity, she was sick and almost couldn't communicate her feelings to Sam. And the look on her face had changed too; instead of her eyes being red and her face showing the tiredness she had, now it showed all the pain she was experiencing. Samantha couldn't imagine being in her position, but she realized that she was a strong person.

Then the thought came to her. Lindsay was worrying about who she was, she was worrying about more than that. She was probably thinking about Adisa Teno, her former boyfriend, and Julia Gomez, a student who she had been teaching. Sam remembered both of them had been killed by Emil Dornvald. She knew Lindsay must be thinking about the shooting, everything that would happen to her if she was actually Paige Hobson. Sam walked over to Lindsay.

"Danny, can you go over to Mac and the others for a while?" she asked.

Danny nodded and left the two alone.

Sam kneeled down besides Lindsay. She lowered her voice as she said, "You're thinking about it, aren't you Paige? You're thinking about Adisa, Julia, how you're life will be if you are really _her_…"

Lindsay coughed and replied in a weak voice, "No…no not at all. I'm not thinking of any of that."

Sam glanced behind her and then turned back to Lindsay. "It's fine that you're concerned about this, but you're letting it take the best of you. First with crying yourself to sleep, now making yourself worried sick. You need to stop, not think about anything. You need a break from remembering that, okay, just listen to me. Once you stop worrying about that, you'll feel better. I promise."

"You've promised a lot of things," whispered Lindsay. "Have any of those promises actually been fulfilled?"

"Just trust me," said Samantha. "The only reason why you feel like this is because you are worrying yourself over that case. You're making yourself sick."

Lindsay shook her head as if she didn't believe it. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she whispered, "I can't stop thinking about it. I did a bad thing, Sam. I killed _him. _I shouldn't even be allowed to work as a CSI because of that. And I let Dornvald kill Adisa and Julia. I let them die."

"You didn't let them die," said Samantha. "It wasn't your fault, you know that." She took her hand. "Paige, listen to me, you have to stop this crying and thinking about the case, okay? I'll take care of the case when we get to Chicago. That I do promise. Just close your eyes, and think about nothing. Can you promise that for me?"

The tears on Lindsay's face slowly stopped and she nodded. She closed her eyes and held on to Sam's hand tightly. "Please," Lindsay whispered without opening her eyes, "stay with me. I need know that your presence is here."

Sam took the seat that Danny had been sitting in and stayed with her. She glanced out the window to see the rain slightly starting to create puddles on the ground. The wind started to pick up and the sky was darkening as the sun went down. Their flight would board in forty minutes and soon they would be in Chicago. Their problems would soon be fixed.

She glanced at Lindsay. Not everyone's problems would be fixed. Lindsay was long from giving up her fight to figuring out who she was. And Sam wasn't giving up on her case either. She would find out her real identity, she would fulfill the promise she had made to Lindsay.

_Kinda short chapter, hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be about House!_


	21. Where Is Thirteen?

_Thanks to StoryDreamer, iluvcsi4ever, and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! This chapter is another short one, but sometimes short chapters are nice. Hope you enjoy it! (Next chapter will be about CSI: NY!)_

Chapter Twenty One: Where Is Thirteen?

Newark International Airport, Waiting Room, A2

"Cuddy," a voice whispered into her ear. "Wake up! House is going to…"

Cuddy signaled with her hand for the person to go away, whoever had whispered in her ear. She didn't want to see one of House's pranks right now, she just wanted to sleep. Suddenly, a voice came on to the speaker, but she knew that it must be the flight attendant announcing the next rows to board the plane.

"Could Dr. Lisa Cuddy please report to the front desk, now?"

She opened her eyes to House's voice. She looked up to see Cameron staring at her, with a smile on her face.

"Dr. Lisa Cuddy, are you still sleeping?" House asked over the speaker.

Cuddy got up from her seat and quickly ran over to the front desk, grabbed the microphone from him, and put it back on the desk. She whispered quietly, "I'm here, I'm awake."

"Good, because I thought I'd never get you up," he said.

Cameron came over to join them. "I was trying to warn you about that," she told Cuddy. "But you ignored me, so that's your fault."

Cuddy ignored her comment once again and handed the flight attendant her ticket. Cameron and House did the same thing and soon they were on the plane. When Cuddy found her seat, she realized she was sitting next to Wilson and House. She sighed, wondering how she would make it during the whole flight, especially when she knew House wouldn't leave her alone.

Across from her row, which was 23, was Cameron, Chase, and Foreman. It was funny to see House's old staff sitting together, since they now worked in different departments of the hospital. But that would be a part of their past. When they arrived in Chicago, they would all have to look for new jobs. She knew that Kutner and Taub must be sitting together, with someone else who they didn't know.

Then a thought came into her head. _Where did Thirteen go? Had she already left New Jersey or was she still waiting for her flight?_

House sat down next to her and she immediately asked, "Where do you think Thirteen went?"

"Hopefully somewhere we will never see her again," said Wilson. "Like maybe she was crazy enough to get on a private jet and tell the pilot to fly her right into the storm."

Cuddy laughed. "Yeah, Wilson, she's really that dumb."

House answered her question next. "She probably never made it out of New Jersey. I have to disagree with you on her not being dumb. Besides, she was the one who was going to stay at the hospital…" He lowered his voice. "…Along with Cameron."

"What?" Cameron asked. "What did you just say about me?"

"She was going to help save lives," said Cuddy. "Thirteen didn't want to accompany_ me_ anywhere if it was the only way to save her life."

"What is your problem with her anyway?" asked Wilson.

"I don't know," replied Cuddy. "She's the one who seems to have a problem with me."

In the row in front of her, Thirteen was silently laughing. She lowered her head and began to read her magazine. _Oh, you won't be seeing the last of me, _Thirteen thought. _This will only be the beginning._

_House and the crew have made it safely out of New Jersey. And we do know where Thirteen is now... Now that leaves the CSIs and FBIs to get out of New York..._


	22. Where I Should Be

_Thanks to StoryDreamer, crazypeoplearemypeople, lily moonlight, and iluvcsi4ever for reviewing! And to lily moonlight, Thirteen is one of the new doctors on House's staff. In season four there is a new staff of doctors, but the old staff still works in the hospital. _

Chapter Twenty Two: Where I Should Be

LaGuardia Airport, Waiting Room, C4

"Sam, wake up!"

Samantha opened her eyes to see Lindsay staring at her, with a smile on her face. She was glad to see that smile of hers; she actually looked happy for the first time that day. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Much," replied Lindsay. "Now come on, the plane is starting to board!"

Sam looked out the window to see that the rain had stopped. The sun had fully set and the sky was dark. Clouds still hung in the sky, blocking the starry night of New York. Then the thought struck her; this would be the last time she ever saw New York. When the sun was rising in Chicago, she knew the city of New York would be drowned in water and destroyed by the hurricane. New York wouldn't even be the city she remembered if it ever did get repaired.

"Sam? Are you daydreaming again?" asked Lindsay.

"Sorry," said Samantha. "I was just thinking about…"

"Remember what you told me," said Lindsay. "Don't think about anything."

Sam nodded. She was glad that Lindsay had taken her advice, and she knew that was the reason why Lindsay had gotten sick. She had been thinking too much about the case, at the time that she didn't need to. Now Sam had to explain that to the team, without mentioning Paige Hobson.

"Are you hungry now?" asked Lindsay.

"No, I ate earlier," replied Samantha. "But I'm guessing now that you're feeling better you're probably starving."

"Yeah," agreed Lindsay. "Where's that salad that I had asked for earlier?"

"Right here," answered Hawkes, who came running over to her side. "I've been sleeping for a while, so I haven't heard what happened."

"I was just sick," said Lindsay. "But I'm fine now. Thanks for not eating my salad."

Hawkes nodded and then went back to sit down. Sam laughed as she saw Martin still sleeping. She walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, sleepy head get up. Or I'll be forced to leave you here."

Martin immediately opened his eyes. "What? What happened? Where's our suspect?"

"Um, Martin, we're at the airport, remember?" questioned Sam.

"Oh, um, then when's our flight boarding?" asked Martin.

"Right now!" exclaimed Lindsay. "So I have to eat, like now!"

"She seems well," said Danny (Taylor).

"Yep, she was just worried about…"

"Flying," Lindsay finished the sentence for her. "I got myself worried sick about it. But now, I'm all better and ready to see the city of Chicago!"

"Well, we have to leave the city of New York first," said Danny (Taylor) with a laugh.

She went to sit down next to Stella and Danny. Then she began to eat her salad. Stella glanced at her and then laughed. "What?" Lindsay asked with a mouthful of salad in her mouth.

"You don't have to shove the salad in your mouth," said Stella. "You'll be able to eat it all before we leave."

"I know," said Lindsay. "But I'm starving. I only had two pieces of toast this morning."

"I'm just glad to see that you're better, Lindsay," said Danny.

"Thank you for not calling me Montana," said Lindsay. "But I still don't like you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I was trying to be polite, that's all."

"And it's not going to work," said Lindsay. "So just forget about it."

Sam laughed at her humor, and wondered if she had actually forgotten about the case for the first time that week. She looked at her ticket and saw that she would be sitting next to Jack and Elena. "Where are you sitting, Lindsay?" she asked, being careful not to say _Paige _in front of the others.

"11D," she replied.

"I'll be sitting next to you!" exclaimed Danny.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "That's great to hear. Who'll be sitting next to you?"

"Me," Flack answered. "I'll be able to see the city of Chicago when it comes into view."

"Lucky you," said Lindsay with a laugh. "Where are you sitting, Sam?"

"20B," replied Samantha. "I'll be sitting next to Jack and Elena."

"And I get the window seat," said Elena.

"What about you Stella?" asked Lindsay.

"I'll be sitting across the row from you, 11A," said Stella. "Mac will be sitting next to me. Hawkes, are you sitting next to Mac?"

"Yep," replied Hawkes.

"That means I'll be sitting next to either the snoring Martin or the ever so annoying Danny," said Vivian.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Danny (Taylor). "How am I so annoying?"

"You ask too many questions," Vivian replied with a shrug.

"I do?" Then Danny paused. "Oh…"

"I'm kidding," said Vivian. "I'd rather sit by you than Mr. Snorer over there."

"I do not snore," protested Martin.

"Actually, you do," said Samantha. "I could hear you snoring from over there…where Lindsay was sleeping earlier."

"I bet you she snores," said Martin.

"No, she doesn't," said Samantha.

"What happened to her anyway?" asked Martin. "Didn't something happen?"

"Thank you for caring," joked Lindsay. "It was nothing important anyway."

Sam sat down beside Martin again and waited for the flight attendant to call their row to board the plane. She watched as Lindsay devoured the salad; it looked like she hadn't seen food in days. When she was done with the salad, the flight attendant called rows 27 through 20, so Sam walked over to the front desk, along with Jack and Elena, to show the flight attendant their tickets. Danny, Martin, and Vivian also followed, their row being 23. The FBI agents boarded the plane and found their seats.

The CSI investigators were next to board the plane, and it took them only a few minutes to find their seats. When everyone was settled in, Lindsay went over to Sam's seat. "Sam!" she called.

"Hey, Lindsay, what is it?" asked Sam.

"Its okay, no one's following me. You can call me Paige."

Sam nodded. "Well, good thing Elena went to the bathroom. And it's a good thing that Jack knows about your case. So, what's up?"

"I know I sounded happy back in the waiting room, but the thought of being two people is still in my head. I can't stop thinking about it, I really can't."

"We can't help you now Paige," said Jack. "You really need to push that thought out of your mind right now."

Lindsay's face was full of concern. "But I've been considering something. If I am _her_, I'll be going to…well, where I really should be right now. Where Adisa was going."

Samantha understood what she was saying. She shook her head. "Don't think about that, okay? Right now we have no solid evidence to prove you're her and we wouldn't do that to you if you weren't her."

"But if I am, you'll put me there," said Lindsay.

"Yes," said Samantha.

"That is where you should be," agreed Jack. "You'll have to finish the time you owe."

Lindsay nodded her head. "That's all I wanted to know. Have a good flight, both of you, okay?" Someone bumped into her as she turned to leave. She saw that it was Elena and said, "Sorry."

"Who was that?" asked Elena as she went to sit back in her seat.

"Lindsay," replied Samantha. _But secretly, she's really both Lindsay Monroe and Paige Hobson._ She thought about what Lindsay was trying to tell her. She hadn't considered that thought herself, she didn't think she deserved to be there. But she had killed General Gamba, which counted as murder, so if Lindsay was truly Paige Hobson, she would be going back to jail. A new question popped into her mind: _How did Paige get out of jail in the first place?_

_A new question to think about… How did Paige get out of jail? We'll have to wait and see…_

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be about Amber._


	23. Finally

_Thanks to crazypeoplearemypeole and StoryDreamer for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! This is the last Amber chapter, so enjoy! _

Chapter Twenty Three: Finally

Flight from Newark International Airport to Miami International Airport

"Ah, that's so sad," Amber cried.

"I know," agreed Sarah. "He's so mean for leaving her like that."

"He's not _mean_," said Amber. "He's an idiot, just like these guys sitting next to me."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," the guy sitting next to her said.

"Shh," said Amber. "We're trying to watch the show!"

"General Hospital, ugh, and I thought I was the dork," the guy said.

Sarah and her were watching General Hospital and crying over it. Amber thought the show would be stupid at first, but after watching it for the last thirty minutes, she had begun to enjoy it. Then it struck her; it was eight five. Shouldn't the plane have already landed?

"Hey, the plane was supposed to land at seven forty five," Amber told Sarah. "How come our plane hasn't landed yet?"

"Who knows?" Sarah replied with a shrug. "This pilot doesn't like to tell us anything."

Amber smiled. "I have an idea." She cleared her throat and then yelled, "Hey, stewardess? Could you come here?"

She stalked down the aisle. "What is your reason for disturbing our passengers…again?"

"Well, if this plane landed soon, then I wouldn't have a reason to annoy you," said Amber.

"You're not annoying me," the flight attendant said. "You're annoying the passengers."

"Do I hear any passengers complaining?" questioned Amber.

"We are," the two guys sitting next to her said.

Amber turned to look at them. "Shut up, you don't know anything." She turned to look at the flight attendant again. "So, when is this plane landing?"

The pilot was the one who answered her question. He came on to the speaker and said, "Flight 327 from Newark International Airport to Miami International Airport will be landing in Miami shortly. We'll be arriving at gate D14; you'll be able to retrieve your baggage at baggage carousel number 7. The temperature is currently seven five degrees Fahrenheit, with clear skies. We hope you had a great flight and wish you will fly with American Airlines again. Have an excellent trip."

Amber wondered if the guy had to rehearse that. It seemed as if every pilot said the same thing. She hadn't had the greatest flight, but she knew the flight attendant had had the worst flight in her whole lifetime. "Well, I guess I don't need your help anymore. And bye, forever!"

The flight attendant gave her a quick smile and then stalked off. The TV turned off, leaving the end to General Hospital a mystery. The lights on the plane darkened, and Amber could get a good view of what Miami looked like at night. The city was lit up, cars speeding down the many roads, the buildings stretching high above in the sky, the people walking down the streets and shopping, not caring if the sun was already down. It looked so beautiful, and not to mention way different than New Jersey. Amber couldn't wait until morning came when she could go to the beach and enjoy the nice weather.

They were getting closer to Miami, the city becoming more detailed at every moment. Soon the plane came to the runway, landing roughly on the ground. She was finally on Miami soil, finally away from House and his staff, finally away from Wilson, and she was finally free to do what she pleased. She waited for the plane to arrive to the gate. When it finally got there, she said her goodbyes to Sarah and left the two PSP nerds behind.

She ran out into the airport, taking in everything. She wasn't even at the hotel yet and she was already excited. She saw that people were still waiting for their flights to leave. She silently laughed at them, and wondered if Wilson was still waiting for his flight too. _He's too dumb to even make it out of New Jersey, _shethought.

She looked at the long list of delayed or cancelled flights, most of them had been leaving to the east coast, where the hurricane was headed. She hadn't heard news on the storm since the time before she left New Jersey, but she knew it had to be powerful now. She was away from the storm, so she didn't care anymore.

Amber walked down the hallway, making her way to the baggage claim area. She passed the airport's many souvenir shops and magazine shops. She passed a food court which held many restaurants she was familiar with, a Wendy's, a Burger King, and a Taco Bell. Surprisingly, after her long flight, she wasn't very hungry. She just wanted to check in to the hotel, close her eyes and go to sleep.

She got to the baggage claim area, quickly retrieved her suitcase, and got in a cab, driving off to a Holiday Inn.

_That's it for Amber guys...she won't be in the story again until the end of part two. I'll post the next chapter soon tonight, just because I feel like it. (Next part is about CSI: NY!)_


	24. You Don't Need To Know

_So, it's kinda late, but I felt like updating...thanks to iluvcsi4ever for reviewing! And you did review the last chapter, I replied to your review to answer the two questions you asked...I hope answered them! _

Chapter Twenty Four: You Don't Need To Know

Flight from LaGuardia Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport

The plane shook violently. Thunder rolled in the distance as they passed through a mass of clouds. The pilot had announced they would be experiencing turbulence as they passed through the storm. They were lucky that they had even made it off the runway, the rain had been flooding the roads so much that it seemed almost impossible to steer the plane without going off the runway. But the pilot must have had the experience, which was something to be thankful for.

Stella rested her head on Mac's shoulder. She knew he didn't mind that because he then put his arms around her. Stella let out a deep breath. "Mac," she whispered.

"What is it?" Mac asked in a gentle voice.

"What are we going to do in Chicago?" asked Stella. "Like, how are we going to make a living? And how are we going to pay for things? How are we going to be able to buy a new house or pay for the food we need, stuff like that?"

"We'll manage," replied Mac. "I know we'll be able to get through this."

"But we don't have the money," said Stella. "We've left everything important back in New York. I'm surprised we even had enough money for this flight…"

"Stella," he replied in a soft voice. "We can't worry about that now. We had to evacuate immediately, so there was no time to get everything we needed. Trust me on this Stel, we'll get through this."

"We only have one pair of clothes, we barely have any food, and we don't even have health care supplies," said Stella. "There are just so many things we're missing."

"We'll bye stuff from souvenir shops," Mac joked. "Stella, you're starting to sound like Lindsay when she was back at the lab, trying to prepare for the storm. You need to relax."

With the mention of Lindsay's name, Stella glanced over to her seat, which was across the row from hers. Surely enough, Lindsay was panicking. She wasn't screaming or anything like that, but Stella could tell by her behavior that she was afraid the plane might crash. She was sitting up straight in her seat, taking deep, shaky breaths.

"It looks as if she's going to have a baby," Mac whispered to Stella.

She lightly slapped Mac on his hand. She then turned to listen to Danny and Lindsay's conversation.

"You need to stop worrying," said Danny. "Everything is going to be…"

"Nothing is going to be all right!" exclaimed Lindsay. Another roll of thunder sounded outside. "This plane could crash!"

"The pilot is a professional," said Danny. "He wouldn't be flying this plane if he couldn't fly through a storm like this."

"The pilot knows nothing!" exclaimed Lindsay. "And neither do you!"

"How about you two shut up and read a book or something?" questioned Flack. "Everybody can hear you two fighting!"

"Poor Flack," said Stella. "He must be tired of hearing the two complain."

Hawkes, who was sitting next to Mac, nodded. "I don't think Danny and Lindsay are ever going to get back together."

Stella nodded. She began to wonder why they had broken up; Danny had never done anything to Lindsay. Lindsay was actually the one who suddenly called off the relationship. Then the name _Paige Hobson _flashed in her mind. Could that possibly be part of the reason why Lindsay had called off the relationship? Could Lindsay possibly be Paige Hobson?

The plane shook again and another yell came from Lindsay. "Daniel Messer, be careful with that water! The glass could slip out of your hands, break, and then spill water all over the place!"

"I was considering on pouring the water on you," said Danny. "And this cup is plastic, it won't break!"

"It can still spill all over!" replied Lindsay.

"I'll pour my Pepsi on the both of you if you don't keep quiet!" threatened Flack.

Stella laughed; it was funny to hear the three of them arguing. She knew Flack must be irritated now and probably would pour his Pepsi on Danny and Lindsay if they didn't stop fighting. She was glad she was sitting next to Mac and not Lindsay because she knew her dark, gloomy, everybody hates us complaints would get on her nerves too.

She looked at the soundless TV. She didn't bother putting on headphones to listen to it, Danny and Lindsay's arguing was more entertaining to listen to. She thought about the day; watching the rain fall outside in her office, evacuating the New York Crime Lab, waiting for their flight to Chicago. The day had been full of surprises, and the biggest of them all was finding out that Lindsay was secretly two people, Paige Hobson and Lindsay Monroe. But she didn't know the whole truth, the whole story behind her identity. And she knew that FBI agent Samantha Spade was helping Lindsay hide her other identity.

As the plane trembled, Stella rested her head on Mac's shoulder again, and closed her eyes. She whispered softly, "Mac, I love you, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do," said Mac. "And I love you too Stel."

"No matter what happens to us, I'll always tell you what's on my mind, and I'll never lie to you," said Stella. "I don't want to ever lose you, I don't want us to become like Danny and Lindsay."

"That'll never happen," Mac reassured her. "What makes you think that will happen?"

"I don't think that will happen to us," said Stella. "I just think the only reason why Lindsay doesn't like Danny anymore is because she's hiding something from him, something that might have ruined their relationship." She paused for a moment. "Do you know why Lindsay has been so troubled lately?"

Mac hesitated. "No, I have no clue. Like I said before, she might still be getting over last week, with you getting kidnapped and everything."

"Don't lie to me Mac," said Stella. "I know you know something about her. And I'm sure that FBI agent Spade knows about it too."

Mac put his finger to her lips and nodded briefly to Hawkes. He whispered in her ear, "There's nothing you need to know about Lindsay, nothing that you need to know yet. There will be a time when you find out, I promise you Stella. But right now, it's not your business to know."

Stella stared at Mac in astonishment. He had just admitted to knowing something about Lindsay, something that she didn't know about. But what was the big secret? And when would she find out about it?

_Mac has admitted to Stella that Lindsay is indeed hiding a secret. With the information Stella already knows, what will she do? Will she ever tell Mac what she already knows? Hm...we'll have to wait and see..._

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Cold Case is next!_


	25. Arriving In Chicago

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, StoryDreamer, and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing!_

Chapter Twenty Five: Arriving In Chicago

Flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport

All was silent. There were no sounds from the passengers or from the flight attendants carrying food on their carts down the aisle. It seemed as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting until they got to Chicago to exhale. Darkness claimed the plane, only a little bit of light shown in a row a few feet away from hers. She liked the peacefulness and stillness of the plane, it made it easier for her to close her eyes and dream of the city of Chicago, to think of all the things she would see and do there.

But she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking of him, of how charming he was and how beautiful his eyes were. And how he smiled at her when he saw her, even if he'd had a rough day, his smile would show nothing but happiness. She couldn't believe he admitted to liking her, she almost thought he wouldn't feel the same way.

She gazed out the window. It was dark outside and all she could see was the endless sky and clouds below the plane. She wondered what was below the clouds, what state they would be in or what town they were passing through. She suddenly saw a shadow pass on the window and was startled when she heard her name.

"Lilly," a voice whispered.

She looked up to see Scotty standing in the aisle, leaning on the seat besides him. "Scotty, you've got to be quiet, people are sleeping." She nodded her head to Sharon and her daughter, the two people that were sitting next to her, to indicate that they were sleeping.

"Why do you think I'm whispering?" he asked. "Anyway, Chicago will be coming on your right soon. We're almost there."

"Really?" questioned Lilly. She quickly glanced out the window. "What time is it?"

"Exactly ten o'clock," replied Scotty. "But now that we're on Chicago time, it's really nine."

Lilly turned to look out the window again. "You didn't really come here to tell me that did you? There's something else. So why are you here, Scotty?"

Scotty smiled that beautiful smile of his. "So you're saying that you like me, but don't like my company?"

"No, that's not what I meant at all…"

"I'm kidding Lil," said Scotty. "I was getting bored. I thought I would come see you before our flight landed." He paused for a moment and put in hands in his pockets. "I also have one more thing to tell you. I came here to say…I love you, Lil, and I'm glad you came with me to Chicago." He looked around him uncomfortably, embarrassment flooding him.

Lilly nodded to him. "I love you too Scotty. To tell you the truth, if I hadn't come to Chicago with you, I don't know how I would have lived with myself. I don't know how I would have lived without you."

He smiled at her again, this time his smile was full of his nervousness. "Ah, I guess I should head back to my seat…"

"Yeah," agreed Lilly. "I'll see you in Chicago."

He nodded to her and disappeared down the aisle. When Lilly turned back to look out the window, a new voice startled her. "Was that your friend?"

Lilly turned to see it was Sharon talking. With a smile she answered, "Yeah, that's my friend."

"He seems very polite," she commented. "You two are perfect for each other."

Lilly was glad the airplane was dark, she could feel her cheeks growing hot and in the light she would look like a red, glowing tomato. She nodded her head to Sharon and then looked out the window again. The plane was dipping lower beneath the clouds and the city of Chicago was just becoming visible. The pilot announced what the weather was like and told them where their baggage could be found.

The city of Chicago became more detailed and she could see the airport on her right. She held her breath as the plane landed roughly on the runway. Then the plane arrived at the gate and the lights turned on, revealing all of the people who had been on the flight. Many of the people looked tired, still waking up from their long sleep. Lilly, on the other hand, immediately got up from her seat and scanned the seats to see if she could find Scotty. When she did, she waved at him, and he just smiled back.

_We're here_, Lilly thought. _We made it to Chicago._

_Lilly and Scotty are the first to arrive in Chicago. Who will be next to arrive? The House crew of course!_


	26. A Flight to Remember

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! Now after a shorter chapter, here comes a long one. I think this might be the longest chapter out of this story so far…I know it's a long read, but it's a good chapter! Enjoy!_

Chapter Twenty Six: A Flight to Remember

Flight from Newark International Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport

_Tap, tap…_

She ignored the light tapping of a finger on her shoulder. She knew it was House, attempting to annoy her like he always did. She grabbed her pencil and marked the number six in one of the boxes. She was trying her luck at a game of Sudoku. So far, she wasn't doing too well.

The tapping on her shoulder had now stopped. Instead, House put his hand on her shoulder. A chill ran down her spine. Without turning to look at him, she asked, "What do you want House?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to get your attention."

A grin appeared across her face. "Well," she said, turning to look at him, "you've got my attention. What is it that you want?"

"I'm bored," he answered. "I'm bored with staring at the lifeless TV."

She quickly glanced at the TV to see that it wasn't even on. "Yeah, it's not even turned on; no wonder why it's lifeless."

"You're lifeless too," said House. "You're bent over that stupid crossword puzzle, only letting your hand move to fill in the answers. And I've never thought of you as a crossword type of person."

"It's Sudoku," she said. "But it doesn't matter; I'm not very good at it anyway. I'd much rather talk to you."

House laughed. "You'd much rather talk to me? I'm surprised Cuddy, you usually ignore talking to me…"

"You're explaining yourself," said Cuddy. "You're the one who always hides from me at work, just so you don't have to do clinic duty or take care of a patient." She was about to fill in an answer to the puzzle when House took her hand in his. She looked at her hand and then at his face. "House, seriously, what do you want?"

"I want to talk, like you said," he answered. "But I also want you to stop working on that Sudoku puzzle."

She put the Sudoku puzzle away and turned to him. "Okay, so what is it you want to talk about?"

He shrugged. "Anything, I'll let you begin first."

She wondered if he was trying to hint at something, like he was just waiting for her to spill out a secret she had never told anyone before. "Where do you think Amber and Thirteen went?"

"Amber may have gone to Florida, somewhere sunny and warm and far away from Wilson," said House. "But like everything else about Thirteen, her destination is a mystery. She could have gone out of country, for all I know."

"Well, let's just hope that we never see Thirteen again." Cuddy turned to look at Wilson. "Guess who's asleep again?"

"He needs his rest," said House. "We all do; we've had a long day."

She was surprised at his sensitivity towards Wilson; he usually never cared for other people. "You're caring," said Cuddy. "What's going on?"

"I was_ not_ caring," said House. "I was making a statement."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. Trying to change the subject, she asked, "So, what's it like, having a new team of doctors?"

"You really want to know about that?" questioned House.

"Sure," said Cuddy. "You wanted to talk about_ something_."

"Well, it still feels the same," said House. "Foreman is still working for me, Taub and Kutner fight with Thirteen about who is right on the diagnosis. It is weird not seeing Chase and Cameron fight, then make up again, since the two were dating when they were working for me."

"They are engaged now," said Cuddy. "Cameron did have a crush on you though. Remember when she came back to work for you after you agreed to take her out on one date?"

House laughed. "Yeah, I can't believe she actually liked me. Remember when that one patient who had HIV coughed blood on Cameron and she was too worried to get tested to see if she was positive or negative?"

Cuddy nodded.

"I was eventually able to get her to test for it," said House. "When we were done with discussing the differential diagnosis for this one patient, I went up to Cameron and said, 'Cameron, I love you'. She opened her mouth to say something, she was so surprised, but before she had the chance to say 'I love you' back, I swabbed her mouth for DNA and then left the room to send the sample down to the lab. She was still standing there in shock when I left the room."

"Well, I would be prepared for something like that to happen again," said Cuddy. "I think Thirteen has a crush on you. That's why she helped you back at the hospital."

"I don't think so," said House. "She isn't exactly someone who would fall in love with their boss. She just wanted to make herself look like a hero when she saved me." He turned to look out the window. "Why do you and Thirteen always disagree on everything?"

Cuddy shrugged. "Who knows? She's the one who always starts the arguments." Then a thought came to her mind. Maybe Thirteen did like House, and she thought that Cuddy liked him too, and that was why she would always argue with her. Thirteen didn't want her to take House away. Thirteen was jealous of her.

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know what Foreman joked about earlier, about you being madly in love with me? I don't know...but I was wondering…is it true? Do you actually like me?"

House stared out the window again, for a long time. She was certain he wasn't going to answer; she didn't even know why she bothered to ask him that question. She knew he didn't like her, he would probably laugh at her and say, "So you're the one who has the crush on me?" She decided to pull the Sudoku puzzle out again. Before she could do that, though, he put his hand on her arm. She looked up to him. She couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth.

"I don't like you," he whispered. "I _love_ you."

Her mouth opened in the manner of a gasp, just like when House had told Cameron that he loved her. That time he had been joking, but she was certain that he was telling the truth by his serious expression. She allowed her mouth to close, and then let a smile form across her face. "I love you too."

She sat up in her chair, and let her head rest lightly on House's shoulder. He didn't say anything, just looked down into her eyes. Cuddy closed her eyes, letting only the sound of her own breathing keep her awake. When he began to talk again, she immediately opened her eyes so she could pay attention. "When did you begin to like me?"

Cuddy laughed. "The first time I saw you walk into my office. I knew you would be a pain, but there was a part of me that knew you were the one. I guess it's a no wonder why I haven't had any luck with other relationships."

"Last year," said House. "I'm sorry about last year. When I said you would make a bad mother. I was wrong; I know you'd make a great mother. That week was hard, since I was reduced access to my Vicodin. Tritter had also frozen both Cameron and Foreman's bank accounts…"

Cuddy was surprised. Now he was apologizing. His feelings for her must be real. "I accept your apology. You really think I would make a good mother?"

House nodded. "I know you would."

She smiled. Now it was her turn to ask him the question. "When did_ you_ begin to like me?"

"The day before you hired me for the job as being a doctor," House replied. "Remember, the night when we met up in the park?"

Cuddy nodded. That had been so long ago, she was surprised he even remembered that night.

_She was jogging through the park. She found a bench and sat down to admire the lake that surrounded the park. A voice behind her called out to her. "Lisa Cuddy?" _

_She turned to the sound of her name. She was surprised to see him, standing there in the moonlight. "That's Dr. Lisa Cuddy to you," she said, standing up. "So, what do you want anyway?"_

_House shrugged. "Well, if I had a reason, I'd tell you. Unfortunately, I don't have a reason."_

"_Are you trying to suck up to me the day before I hire employees for the job?" asked Cuddy. "Do you think that's going to make me hire you?"_

"_I'm not here to suck up to you," said House. "I'm just here to get to know my possible boss."_

"_That's why you followed me here?" questioned Cuddy. "I know you better than that. You do have a reason why you're here, you just aren't telling me."_

"_You got me," said House. "Yes, I am here for a reason. You left something back at the hospital. You actually dropped it by the entrance. I thought you might want it back." _

_He reached into his pocket, and put the object in Cuddy's hand. She looked up to him in surprise. "How…I mean, thank you." _

"_Well, you're welcome," said House._

_The object that he had placed in her hand was a ring. The diamond sparkled in the moonlight._

"_Are you married?" he decided to ask._

_Cuddy quickly shook her head. "No, no. It's from a boyfriend, from a while ago. Um, it's getting late, and we both should be heading home. If I'm not at the hospital early to make my decision about who to hire, then the chances of anyone getting the job will be next to none." _

_She looked up at House again. "And thanks again."_

_House nodded. He quickly said goodbye, and then left, walking the opposite direction of where she was going. She stayed where she was, besides the bench, letting the moonlight suck the life out of her. He didn't have to return her ring; he could have ignored it and left it where he had found it. She knew he wanted to return it, to see her again, not suck up to her to try to get the job. He was trying to be nice; she just couldn't admit to herself that she liked him._

_She knew who she was going to hire tomorrow. She would stand up tall, clear her throat, and announce to the group of awaiting doctors who had made it and who was going to have to look for a new job. She would announce that he got the job first. She would say, "Dr. Greg House, you've got the job."_

_And he would smile to her and say, "Thank you."_

"You returned that ring to me because you liked me," said Cuddy. "Knowing your personality, I thought you would have ignored it or sold it on EBay to make some extra money. But you gave it to me instead. And I thank you for that."

House smiled.

"You know, now that I remember, I don't think you had your leg injury then," said Cuddy. "Were you even married to Stacy then?"

"I think I was," said House. "It's weird though, that seemed like such a long time ago."

"It _was_ a long time ago," said Cuddy. She quickly glanced at Wilson, hoping he wasn't listening. But he was still sleeping, snoring the day away. She then glanced at Cameron, Chase, and Foreman to see if they were paying attention, but surprisingly, they were all sleeping as well.

"Do you still have that ring?" questioned House.

She held up her hand. "Yeah. I just can't take it off. I mean, I don't have feelings for him; it was a relationship back when I was in med school. I don't know why I won't take off the ring, he has probably forgotten about me anyway." She also added, "I love you, not him."

"Does _he_ have a name?" questioned House.

"Enough about my personal life," said Cuddy. "Soon you'll ask questions that you've been dying to ask for years. And I don't want to even know what those questions are."

"Fine, fine," said House. "I'll stop asking questions."

"Good," whispered Cuddy. "I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep."

"It's okay to rest your head on my shoulder," House told her, even though she had already done that. "I don't mind. I'll just rest my head on yours and go to sleep."

Cuddy smiled. She had finally admitted to liking him, not only to House, but to herself. And she had gotten the answer she wanted to hear, that he liked her as well. She let her eyes close, dreaming about House and all of the times they had fought, agreed on things, and joked around with each other. It was the best dreams she had ever dreamt. The day had been hard, leaving New Jersey, but it had turned out to be the best day of her life, knowing that House not just liked her, but loved her.

* * *

Thirteen put her head against the window, wishing she could be the one to rest her head on House's shoulder. She wasn't happy about what she had just heard, how could House like a woman like that? She had saved House, Cuddy had not. Why didn't he like her, what was so different between her and Cuddy? Besides, Cuddy couldn't handle a relationship with House; she had gotten bothered by Cameron when she had yelled at her earlier.

House needed someone strong, someone like her. She knew House wouldn't last with Cuddy that long; there was no way she would be able to deal with his attitude. Thirteen would soon be the one House liked, and Cuddy would be jealous, falling to her knees and pleading to let House give her a second chance. And House would just laugh at her, and walk away, ignoring her cries. He would meet up with her, and they would stay together forever.

Thirteen smiled and closed her eyes. House would be hers sooner or later.

* * *

"Hey, wake up!" a voice exclaimed. "We're about to land!"

Cuddy opened her eyes. She saw that House was still sleeping. She prodded him on the shoulder, and he immediately woke up. "Huh, what's going on?" he asked, dazed.

"We're about to land," replied Cuddy.

He nodded, yawned, and then looked out the window. Instead of glancing out the window, she glanced at Cameron, who was smiling. She knew it too. She knew that she and House were in love. Cuddy turned to look at Wilson, who was still sleeping. Of course, House had a plan. He took the Sudoku puzzle she had been working on earlier and threw it at him.

Wilson awoke with the book hitting him across the face. _Poor Wilson, _Cuddy thought. _First Cameron kissed him, and now this. _Wilson turned to look at House, but said nothing.

"You've been sleeping the day away," he said. "We are landing right now…"

The plane had landed right when House had finished his sentence. The city of Chicago was now visible through the window, and the lights of the aircraft turned on for their arrival. She was glad she had made it through this flight without any sick passengers, or her getting sick herself. This flight would be one to remember because it was the time when House had admitted to liking her.

When the plane arrived at their gate, people started standing up, and began to file out of the aircraft. She stood up, her legs suddenly feeling weak because she had been sitting for a long time. House stood up next to her and smiled at her. She smiled back, not caring if Wilson or the others saw their connection.

Kutner and Taub had passed them already, making their way to the inside of the airport. House limped out into the aisle, following Kutner and Taub. Security had taken away his cane again, thinking it could be used as a possible weapon. But he seemed to walk more confidently than ever before, without his cane. She followed House, with Cameron close behind. She whispered to her. "Good thinking Cuddy. I was waiting for the two of you to admit your feelings for each other."

Cuddy slightly blushed, but let the comment not bother her. She kept walking; finally glad to have arrived in Chicago. Everyone she wanted was here with her, safe in Chicago. But none of the doctors had noticed Thirteen, who had bolted straight for the front of the plane, right when it had arrived at the gate.

_Feelings have been admitted. We now know why Thirteen hates Cuddy so much and Cuddy and House have finally realized their love for each other. Yay!_

_A/N: Go ahead, say it... yes that was a long chapter…the next ones are kinda long too. I hope House didn't seem out of character, I thought he might act a little nicer towards Cuddy when he admitted his feelings for her. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be about our New York CSI investigators arriving in Chicago. (And I think that was how you spelled 'Sudoku'.)_


	27. A Familiar Face

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, and lily moonlight for reviewing! _

_Chapters twenty seven and twenty eight were originally combined into one chapter, but I realized that it was like fifteen pages long after double spacing and everything, so I decided to split them up. The next chapter is still long though. I might post it today because I kinda wanted the two chapters together. _

_StoryDreamer had asked a few chapters back if Stella would meet up with Scotty again. This is the chapter when they meet up with each other again!_

Chapter Twenty Seven: A Familiar Face

Flight from LaGuardia Airport to Chicago O'Hare Airport

"Stella, Stella," a voice repeatedly whispered. "Stella."

Stella opened her eyes to a bright light shining that made her immediately close her eyes again. "Turn that light off," she told the voice.

When she was sure that the light was turned off, she opened her eyes. The voice had been Mac's, and now he was pointing to the window. "Look," he said.

She stared out the window. Lake Michigan glimmered magnificently in the starry night, reflecting the city of Chicago on its surface. The city's skyscrapers stood tall in the night sky, full of several lights shining on all of the floors of each building. Cars raced down the streets, looking like lights darting back and forth from one end of the road to the other. The city looked nothing like New York had, but the action of the night reminded her of the old city. Without even setting foot on Chicago soil, she already felt like this place was her home.

"It's beautiful," Stella whispered.

"I kind of missed this place," said Mac. "I never thought I'd come back to Chicago."

"Mac made a good choice on coming here," Hawkes agreed.

A cry from someone startled her. She turned to see Lindsay, bent down over her tray, crying. Her shoulders heaved with each cry, becoming louder, as if she wanted everyone to hear her crying. Danny was trying to comfort her, after their dispute from earlier, but Lindsay just waved her hand to signal him to stop trying to help.

"Lindsay, we're about to land, you need to put the tray back in its upright position," Danny was telling her.

"Messer...leave me alone...I've heard enough of your voice today," Lindsay said between sobs.

Flack rolled his eyes. He slouched down in his seat and turned to look out the window.

"What do you think is wrong?" asked Hawkes.

Stella shrugged, though she knew what part of the answer was. Mac replied to Hawkes's question. "She has had a long day. The city of Chicago might be reminding her of New York. She may be grieving over the fact that we won't see New York again."

_We won't see New York again?_ Stella asked herself. _Would the hurricane really completely destroy the city we all know so well? _

Stella stared at the city, trying to grasp the fact that she may never see New York again. She had grown up there, even if she hadn't had the best childhood. Everything in her life had happened there. She had found love there, some bad, others good. She glanced at Mac, glad to know she still had him.

The plane landed roughly on the runway, waking her from her thoughts. Some of the passengers started to applaud, happy that the plane had landed safely. But one passenger in particular wasn't happy for their arrival.

Lindsay lifted her head from the tray, her eyes red and a frown on her face. She looked at Danny, rubbing her head. "Daniel Messer, didn't I tell you to tell me to put my tray back in the upright position? Now, because you didn't warn me, I hurt my head because this pilot is terrible at landing."

Danny shook his head, letting Lindsay win the argument. Stella knew Lindsay was arguing because something was troubling her mind. Whatever it was, Stella knew it wasn't her business to know, just like Mac had said. But it seemed like Lindsay wanted people to know, she wanted them to know her problem. Otherwise, she wouldn't have cried in front of everyone on the plane.

The plane pulled up to the airport, parking right next to gate B21, where they would depart the aircraft. When the pilot said it was okay to start moving around, none other than Samantha Spade came rushing down the aisle. "Lindsay!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her. "Lindsay, honey, what happened?"

She had sounded like she was Lindsay's mother, like Lindsay had had a bad dream and like she was about to tell her that everything would be okay. Stella knew Lindsay didn't believe in 'okays' anymore, she seemed to not trust her own judgment anymore.

Stella watched as Lindsay sobbed into Sam's shoulder. She couldn't make out her voice, only that Lindsay had whispered something in the FBI agent's ear. Sam immediately took her out of the plane, not bothering to wait for the rest of the passengers to get off first.

"What was that about?" she asked Mac.

Mac did not reply, only stared off into the distance.

"Mac?" she asked.

When he didn't answer her for the second time, she decided to drop the question. He knew something, but he didn't want to tell her.

She waited for the people in front of her to depart the plane, and then she followed Hawkes out of the plane. She ran over to Danny and Flack when she entered the airport waiting room. "Where's Lindsay?"

"Who cares," Danny said with a rude glance at Stella.

Flack gave her a more sympathetic look. "She's over there, by the souvenir shop, with Samantha Spade. But I wouldn't bother talking to them; it's probably not a good idea to interrupt their conversation."

Stella nodded her understanding. She stood next to Flack, searching the crowd for the rest of Sam's team. They came one by one, forming a circle around her.

"So, where do we go?" asked Martin.

"Out of the airport," replied Jack.

Mac walked over to the group. "We'll go to the lobby, make hotel reservations, and then go our separate ways."

The others nodded their agreement. They started walking away, forming smaller groups. Stella remained where she was.

Mac looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to come, or are you going to stand there and admire the city all night long?"

She sighed. "No, but Mac, I want to know about Lindsay. What's her story? Why is she hanging around that FBI agent?"

He shook off the question. "Some things Stella are better left unanswered." He put his arm around her and they started walking down the hall, to the lobby of the airport. As they walked, they passed Lindsay and Samantha. Stella glared at the two and she was sure she caught a glance from Samantha. Lindsay just looked up at her with a plaintive expression, and then looked down at her feet again.

They walked down hallway after hallway, passing souvenir shops, restaurants, and other waiting rooms, either completely deserted or filled with a few people. Most of the shops were closing, since it was ten o'clock, and the airport itself was not that busy. When they got to the lobby of the airport, there were no crowds of people waiting to get their tickets for their flights; there were only a few employees walking around. Everything was so vacant and it was strange to see things not crowded after the day at LaGuardia Airport back in New York.

They met up with the other CSI investigators again, and started talking about where they were to go. Stella wasn't interested in the conversation, she decided to go outside and admire the city again, even if it was cold outside. She walked, looking for the closest door, and didn't see that someone was in front of her. She bumped into the person, causing him to turn around and look at her with an angry gaze.

"Watch where you are…" He stopped as he saw Stella's face. He smiled and replied, "Detective Bonasera? It's nice to see you again."

"Scotty Valens, right?" asked Stella.

"Yep," he replied and shook her hand. "How have things been going?"

"Much better since the last time that I saw you," she said.

Stella had been involved in a cold case a few years ago, and Detective Valens had thought she was the primary suspect. The murderer of the case had actually been her foster sister, Mindy Sanchez. She had forgotten about that case and was surprised to see Detective Valens here. Her gaze shifted to a blond haired woman that was standing right next to him.

The woman must have seen Stella's surprised face. She immediately stepped forward, put out her hand, and said, "Lilly Rush. I work with Scotty."

Stella shook Lilly's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"About things being much better," Scotty said, interrupting her meeting with Lilly. "Things aren't really better. The hurricane made us evacuate Philadelphia, made us leave behind everything we knew, it's just not going to be the same anymore."

Stella nodded. "It's pretty much the same for us. So, how come you came to Chicago? And where's the rest of your team?"

"Well," Lilly began, "the rest of our team evacuated all around the country. Scotty and I are the only ones that came to Chicago."

Scotty nodded his agreement. "How come you came to Chicago?"

"Most of my team came to Chicago," said Stella. "Do you remember Mac Taylor?" She pointed to Mac over by the other CSI investigators. "He used to live here. So we thought that it would be a good idea to come too."

"I've been here a few times," said Scotty. "It's a nice place, and it kind of reminds me of Philadelphia, so I thought it would be a good idea to come here. Lilly had no idea where to go, so she took the first suggestion she heard, which was Chicago, and tagged along. Isn't that right Lilly?"

Lilly laughed. "Yeah, that's exactly why I came."

Stella could see the connection between the two; she could tell that they liked each other. "Or was it because you couldn't leave Scotty to go to Chicago by himself?" she asked.

Lilly's face turned slightly red. "Maybe that's part of the reason…"

"Don't worry," said Stella. "If you two like each other, it's okay to admit it. I'll tell you something that you didn't know. Scotty was the only one on your team to have seen Mac Taylor, well, he and I are dating."

Scotty applauded, a reaction she didn't expect. "So you mean the guy with the glasses? You two worked so well together when I came to New York. I knew you two would…"

"No!" exclaimed Stella. She pointed to Mac again. "Can you not see or something? I would never date Danny; he has a crush on one of our other CSI investigators anyway. But maybe I should introduce you to him, just so you know who I'm talking about."

She ran over to Mac's side and directed him over to Lilly and Scotty. "Mac, meet Detectives Lilly Rush and Scotty Valens…Scotty came to New York, remember?"

Mac nodded and shook his hand with the others. "Mac Taylor, but I'm sure Stella has mentioned my name enough already."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Forget that. Do you two want to join our group over there, where Mac was standing earlier? We're just deciding where we are going to stay for the first few days."

"I thought you were going to go outside and admire the city again," said Mac.

She shook her head. "I was, but now I'll join you." She looked expectantly at the others.

Scotty nodded. "We'll come."

They walked over to the CSI investigators, quickly introduced themselves, and talked about where to stay. Stella noticed someone was missing. "Is Lindsay still with that FBI agent?" she whispered into Mac's ear.

"Probably," he said.

_Probably, _she thought. Probably wasn't a good enough answer for her.

_Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be posted soon! _

_(Sam and Lindsay will meet up with House and Cuddy in the next chapter, and yet another secret is revealed…)_


	28. Lianna Sardo

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and StoryDreamer for reviewing!_

_You really wanna know how long this is? This is the longest chapter so far now, a little over twelve pages to be exact. Sorry, I couldn't shorten it to another chapter, it just wouldn't fit right. So, take your time while reading it, review, and most importantly, enjoy the long chapters when you get them._

_Warning: Spoilers for Without a Trace episode "Moving On" _

Chapter Twenty Eight: Lianna Sardo

Chicago O'Hare Airport, Waiting Room, B21

"You lost everything?" asked Lindsay.

"I didn't lose everything," replied Samantha. "Only the things on my computer…I couldn't retrieve the files. But I have the Paige Hobson file in this bag, along with the information I printed out."

"But you lost _something_," said Lindsay. "You lost something that could have cleared my name, could have told me who I was."

"It can all be retrieved," Samantha reassured her. "It'll take some time, but I'll get the information back again."

"What if it takes years?" Lindsay questioned. "I can't wait years anymore. I need to know, I need to know soon."

Sam sat down next to her. "Paige, you have to let this go. You need to be patient; it'll do nothing to cry about this now. I know it's hard, but it's not helping you, crying yourself to sleep every night, not enjoying the life you have. You've got to have hope, not discourage. You need to drop this for a while."

Lindsay looked up at her with sad eyes. _Drop it for a while? _She thought. How could she do that, especially if it was going to decide the life she had? "Sam," she whispered. "I can't do that. You don't understand how hard this is, especially if I could be spending the rest of my life in jail if I'm _her_."

"I do understand," said Samantha. "That's why you need to enjoy life now, and not worry about being Lindsay or Paige. You can forget about it, I know you can."

She could, she had forgotten about the case earlier. She had gotten herself sick over it. She knew she could forget it, but in the back of her mind, the problem would still be there, still waiting to catch her off guard. She sighed. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

Sam hugged her. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?"

A smile appeared on Lindsay's face. She had thought about this for a while; she knew it would help her. She cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I was thinking, that maybe I could…work with you? I'd be able to keep in contact with you then, and I could learn fast. Mac did hire me for my eye for detail. It could help in your job."

Samantha looked at her uneasily. "Paige, it requires some previous knowledge, being a CSI and a FBI agent are totally different."

"Not really," said Lindsay. "We analyze evidence, we find suspects, almost the same thing you do. This could help me, Sam, don't you understand?"

"I'd have to get permission from Malone first," said Samantha. "And you could not mention Paige Hobson to anyone around there. You are supposed to be in jail, and you're technically a missing person. You would have to be known as Lindsay Monroe, and no one else."

Lindsay nodded her head. "Thank you. Thank you so much for this Sam."

"Hey, I haven't said 'yes' yet," said Samantha. "It's Jack's choice." She looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

Lindsay shrugged. "You kind of lost the rest of your team too."

She looked around again. "I guess I did," she admitted.

A new voice sounded near them and the person almost bumped into Samantha. "Excuse me, but I was wondering if you could…"

Samantha turned around with a shocked look on her face. "Lianna…?

The woman raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm Lisa Cuddy. Who are you?"

"Special Agent Spade," replied Sam. "But, I talked to you before, I've seen you before. I remember you."

Lindsay tilted her head to the side. _Lianna, _thought Lindsay. _Could she possibly be like me?_

"I don't know how you would have seen me," said Cuddy. "I'm administrator at Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, in New Jersey. My special is Endocrinology. But I'm afraid I haven't met you before."

"I'm sorry," Samantha apologized. "You just look so much like…"

Lindsay stepped forward. "Who are you?" she questioned.

"Lindsay," Samantha warned. "Don't…"

"You're not really…"

Samantha stopped her before she could finish her sentence. "I'm sorry; she just had a long day. Um, what was it that you wanted?"

The doctor shifted her feet uncomfortably. The man who was standing next to her answered, but not the question. "Cuddy, what's going on?"

Cuddy turned to the man. "I'll tell you later; I promise. Could you wait here with…?"

"Lindsay Monroe," Samantha answered.

Cuddy turned to Lindsay, quickly shaking her hand. "This is Dr. Gregory House. He can be a little impolite sometimes, but I'm sure he can stay quiet for a few minutes."

"No," said Lindsay. "I want to come with you."

"Fine," said House. "I can wait here."

Sam glanced at Lindsay apprehensively, and then nodded. She had to know, she had to find out if this doctor had the same problem as her, being two different people. She couldn't draw conclusions so fast, but she had to hold on to the possibility. She needed hope.

Walking far enough away from the other doctor, they found a place where they could talk in private. Samantha sat down next to Cuddy, while Lindsay sat across from them, waiting for the news. She looked up at the doctor expectantly, hoping for the answer she wanted to hear.

"What do you know about her?" asked Samantha. "About Lianna Sardo?"

Cuddy looked to the floor. "She was my sister, we were actually identical twins. That's why you thought I was her."

Tears began to form in Lindsay's eyes. Lianna Sardo had been her sister, not her other identity. She had considered the thought that Paige Hobson was her sister, but she knew that wasn't possible. She remembered all the things she had done when she was Paige, proving that once in her life she had been her.

"What happened?" asked Lindsay. "What happened to your sister?"

Cuddy looked at her, her eyes also filled with tears. But she didn't answer, Samantha responded to the question. "She went missing back in '03. She had been a neurosurgeon. She went looking for her daughter, and instead found a drug addict, pretending to be her daughter. It was heartbreaking for her, to find out that the girl she had been helping wasn't her daughter."

"Did she ever find her daughter?" asked Lindsay.

"Yes, she did," said Samantha.

"And I never knew about it," said Cuddy, her voice full of sorrow. "Only a few months ago did I learn I actually had a sister. I…I was so shocked. And what she did, it was terrible. She had called me a few times, telling me about her story…"

_The ringing of her cell phone startled her, making her look away from her computer for the first time that morning. She looked at the number, recognizing it. "Lianna?" asked Cuddy._

_"I can't do this anymore," she replied. "I can't live like this. I'm sorry Lisa, but I have to do this."_

"_What do you have to do?" questioned Cuddy._

"_Don't worry," said Lianna. "It'll help the both of us. You didn't want anyone to know I was your sister, right? And my daughter's old enough to take care of herself, so she'll be fine. Wendy Halpert, you remember her right?"_

"_Yes, I remember you mentioning her," Cuddy said slowly. "But what are you going to do?"_

"_You'll see," she whispered and hung up._

_Cuddy looked apprehensively down at the phone. It rang again, this time revealing a video message. _

"_See this?" Lianna asked to the phone. "I purchased this for my protection. My ex-husband told me I should have gotten rid of it, but I'm glad I didn't." She paused. _

"_I work twenty four seven, have practically no life, can't find the right love, and almost got killed because I thought someone pretending to be my daughter was Wendy. I had a child at fourteen, how stupid was I to let that happen? I wrote this note, thinking I'd be able to see my baby again. I did, but she was fine without me. I'm no use to this life, and now, I'm going to say goodbye. I'm thankful we had the chance to meet, Lisa."_

"_No!" exclaimed Cuddy, standing up from her seat. "You can't do this, no!"_

_The message ended, and she could only imagine the sound of the gunshot that was killing her sister at that very moment. She put her head down, letting the tears flow out of her eyes._

"She committed suicide," Cuddy whispered, "right in front of my eyes. She shot herself in the head. She thought it would solve everything, but it just made things worse."

Lindsay opened her mouth to say something to comfort her, but nothing came out. It made her situation worse, knowing that Lianna Sardo and Lisa Cuddy had been two different people. For some reason, she felt sorrier for herself than for the doctor. She wanted so badly to have finally found someone just like her, someone who had two different identities.

"Why didn't you report this to the police?" asked Samantha.

"I understood what she was going through," said Cuddy. "She and I have practically the same life. I work twenty four seven, never getting out much. She still had one thing I don't have, which is a child. But, still, I understand why she killed herself. She couldn't take the stress of her life.

"I thought that if I reported it, the police might think I killed her. And I didn't want her daughter to know about it, at least not from news reports and everything. Knowing Lianna, she wouldn't want her daughter to cry over the thought, thinking it was her fault that her own mother killed herself, so I didn't tell anyone."

Sam nodded. "You should tell Wendy about it, she does deserve to know."

"Yeah," agreed Cuddy. "But can you promise me that you won't make this a public issue?"

"I promise," said Samantha. "Where is she? Where did she die?"

"In New York," said Cuddy. "You won't be able to retrieve the body, not with the hurricane that hit."

"So you went back to see if she was okay?" asked Samantha.

Cuddy nodded. Reaching into her pocket, she said, "Lianna left this. I knew she wanted you to keep it."

_Cuddy ran through the wooded park, not caring about the rain that was soaking her clothes. "Lianna!" she called. "Lianna, where are you?" She saw her, lying motionless on the muddy ground. "Lianna!" she exclaimed, collapsing to the ground. "Why did you do this, why?"_

_She grabbed her hand. "Lianna," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. She checked for her pulse, but she knew that it wasn't worth it. Lianna was dead._

_She noticed something in Lianna's right hand. She took it from her hand, carefully unfolding the note. It read:_

_To my baby,_

_My name's Lianna Sardo and I'm your first mommy._

_I know you have another mommy now, which…makes me happy. I hope she's nice._

_Please don't (do not) cry when you're sad because one day…when I'm older, I'll buy a car and find you...so that we (you and I) can be together._

_Until then, please remember that…I love you very much._

_Under that writing, there was a new message._

_P.S. Please don't tell Wendy about this. Take care, Lisa, I'll always remember you._

_Cuddy quickly shielded the note from the rain. She took one last look at Lianna. "I promise to always remember you too," she whispered. She got up, and ran back to her car._

Sam looked at the letter. "I remember reading this. Are you sure you don't want to keep this, to remember your sister?"

"I know she wants you to keep it," said Cuddy. "She must have been really happy that you helped find her daughter. She barely knew me."

Samantha shook her head. "No, you keep it. She's your sister, she would want you to keep it. I don't need it anyway."

Cuddy smiled a small smile. "Thanks."

She nodded. "Did you know she had a younger sister living in Albuquerque?"

"Yes," replied Cuddy. "But she wasn't really her sister. Lianna was adopted. She was not only out to find her daughter, but she was also out to find her _real _sister."

Lindsay stared at the two, trying to take in all of the news. Then she remembered something. Paige Hobson had a sister, meaning that her sister would be worried about her right now, with the hurricane destroying New York. What would she think when she found out that Lindsay was her sister, pretending to be someone else? But that was if she was really Paige Hobson, a mystery still unsolved.

"What about Beth?" Lindsay asked. "Has she called at all, wanting to know if her sister had been found?"

The doctor gave her a shocked look, and Lindsay almost forgot that she didn't know about Paige Hobson. Samantha only shook her head. "I don't know. She hasn't said anything for a few years." The expression on Sam's face showed the thoughts that she was thinking. _Beth probably thinks Paige is dead now._

"I think we should tell her," said Lindsay.

"Lindsay, no…"

"Tell me what?" asked Cuddy. "Does it concern Lianna or me?"

"No, it's nothing important," said Samantha. She got up from her chair. "Let's go meet up with…Dr. House, right?"

Lindsay stood up. "No. I wanted people to know my story. She should know. She would understand. She would be that 'someone' I was looking for."

"Lindsay, you barely know her," said Samantha.

"It's my decision Sam," said Lindsay. "You don't make decisions for me." She turned to Cuddy.

"She doesn't need to know," said Samantha. "She has been through enough, this'll make things worse."

"No," said Cuddy. "If Lindsay wants to tell me something, I'll listen. I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Samantha looked at Cuddy and then at Lindsay. "Go on then, Lindsay. Tell her your story."

Lindsay looked at Samantha and nodded. She started from the beginning, telling the doctor who Paige Hobson was. She explained of her disappearance, where she worked, what she had done to go to jail. Then she told her about herself, that she worked as a CSI and that she came from Montana. The doctor looked confused when she finished her story, and Lindsay knew why. She hadn't said one important detail. "Samantha told you that I was Lindsay Monroe," explained Lindsay. "But, I'm also Paige Hobson."

Cuddy stared at her with wide eyes. "How, how could that be possible…I mean you can't be two different people at once, can you?"

Lindsay nodded. "I'm trying to figure out who I was born as. I'm not really two people, I'm just known by two different names."

"But if you're Paige Hobson, you'll have to go back to jail, right?" Cuddy asked.

"Yeah," replied Lindsay. "That's what will happen."

"Don't tell anyone," said Samantha. "And please don't forget it."

Cuddy nodded. "Well, I should go see what House is doing…but, could you show us to the direction of the lobby?"

"Yes," said Samantha. "But, you know, there are signs pointing in certain directions for a reason."

The doctor laughed. "Yeah, I guess I kind of forgot to look up."

"We'll still lead you to the lobby," said Samantha. "Come on."

They walked back over to House and then started walking towards the lobby of the airport. Sam took the lead, while Lindsay brought up the back. She was thinking about everything that had happened today, about everything that she had discovered. She had learned of a suicide from a doctor she hardly knew, and now that doctor knew a secret about her, a secret that could cause her life if the doctor told anyone.

She was also bracing herself to get ready to say her goodbyes. She was ready to give up her job as a CSI and work with Sam as a FBI agent. She knew the CSI team would miss her, especially Danny, but it was for her own good. She would be able to keep close contact with Samantha, knowing every detail about the Paige Hobson case. But then a thought struck her, she didn't have a job. None of them did.

They weren't in New York anymore, so they would all have to apply for new jobs. Jack wouldn't make the decision to if she could work with the FBI; he wouldn't have his position of being boss anymore. She ran up to Samantha. "Jack's not going to decide if I work with the FBI," she told her. "We don't have jobs anymore, remember?"

"But you've never worked the FBI before," said Samantha. "It may not be Jack's decision to hire you, but whoever hires you is going to want someone with experience. I don't know if you have that experience."

"I have experience," said Lindsay.

"I'm still going to let Jack decide if this is a good decision," said Samantha.

Lindsay lowered her voice. "Hey, I just made the decision to tell that doctor my problem. I'm the one who gets to make the decision to whether or not I'm going to work for the FBI."

"Let's see what Jack thinks," said Samantha. She walked away from Lindsay, leaving her to stand alone in the hallway.

Lindsay shook her head. _It's my decision, _she thought. _I am old enough to make my own decisions. _Was she really? Could she make her own decisions? She hadn't show that she could do much of anything besides cry and worry over her identity. Maybe Samantha did have a point.

She hurried to keep up. They were now entering the lobby, after what seemed like a long walk. Samantha turned around to face Lindsay. "Our team is over there, we'll go see what Jack says, and then you can tell Mac about you resigning from your job. But that's only if Jack says 'yes'."

Lindsay nodded.

Sam turned to Cuddy and House. "Do you think you can find your way from here?"

"Actually," said Cuddy, "I already see the rest of our team. Thanks for bringing us here, thanks for everything."

She nodded. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too," said Cuddy. She walked away with House by her side. For the first time since they had met, Lindsay noticed that the man had a cane. He had only said a few words to her; she wondered what his personality was really like.

"Are you coming?" asked Samantha, waking Lindsay from her thoughts.

"Yeah," she replied.

She followed Samantha over to the team, her heart pounding. She wondered why she was so nervous; Jack's decision wasn't final. He wouldn't be the one who would actually hire her for the job. He could be the one who would recommend for her job with the FBI, though, so she hoped he would tell her that she would make a good FBI agent.

"Jack, can I ask you something?" asked Samantha.

Jack turned to smile at her. "I don't know, can you?"

Samantha laughed. "_May_ I ask you a question?"

"Yes," he replied. He walked away from the other FBI agents, leading Lindsay and Samantha outside. He must have known that her question would be important.

Lindsay shivered as she went outside. It was cold in Chicago, only about forty degrees Fahrenheit, but she was used to weather like that. The temperature would usually be the same in New York. She looked up at the sky, admiring the beautiful night. Everything was calm and peaceful, unlike New York. Right now, the city may have been completely destroyed because of the storm.

She looked towards Samantha, who had just finished asking Lindsay's question. "I don't know, Sam," said Jack. "She needs experience…"

"I do have experience," Lindsay protested. "Why can't you just give me a chance?"

"We can't have a murderer working in our department," said Jack.

"So you're calling me a murderer now?" questioned Lindsay. "You don't even know if I'm Paige Hobson yet!"

"Jack, she's not a murderer," said Samantha.

"It's not that," said Jack. "It's just if anyone knows that she may be Paige Hobson, they may think we were hiding her from going to jail. And we are almost doing that."

"We're not," said Samantha. "We don't have any leads that Lindsay may actually be Paige, so we wouldn't get in trouble for that."

"Just answer the question Jack," said Lindsay. "I'm either getting the job or not. So which is it?" She looked at his face, trying to figure out the answer from there. His face, surprisingly, was expressionless.

"Lindsay, or as Sam calls you Paige, I think you would make a great FBI," said Jack. "You have enough knowledge from your previous job and you care for other people, a thing that you would need for this job. I think this might help you. I still want you to learn from Spade, since you don't know everything about this job. Then, you can apply for the job."

Lindsay ran up to Jack and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," said Jack. "But don't forget what I told you. Learn from Spade before you apply for the job."

"And apply as Lindsay Monroe," said Samantha. "You can't let anyone know that you may possibly have another other identity."

Lindsay nodded and started to walk towards the airport. Samantha turned to Jack. "You made a good choice Jack," she told him. "That really made her happy."

"I want to see her happy," said Jack. "She'll have a rough life ahead of her if she is really Paige."

Samantha nodded her understanding. She hurried to catch up with Lindsay, with Jack following. He went to join the others on his team, while Lindsay and Samantha went over to find the CSI investigators. "Mac!" exclaimed Lindsay.

He turned around. "What is it Lindsay?"

She stopped to look at the two newcomers. "Who are they?"

"Detectives," said Mac. "The blond haired woman is Lilly Rush and the man standing next to her is Scotty Valens. Remember he came to the crime lab before? For that cold case Stella had been connected to?"

"Yes, I remember," said Lindsay. "May I speak to you over there?"

Mac nodded and followed her away from the group. He looked at Lindsay and Samantha worriedly. "Has something come up in the case?"

"No," replied Samantha. "But Lindsay has something to tell you."

Lindsay took a deep breath. "Mac, I…I want to resign from being a CSI. I want to work with Samantha; I want to be a FBI agent."

Mac gave her a shocked look. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," said Lindsay. "This is going to help me. I haven't been happy this last week, after finding out that I have two identities, and I feel like everyone wants to know what's going on. At least if I work with Samantha, she'll understand what I'm going through. I won't have to worry about other people finding out."

"I understand," said Mac. "If this is what you want, then I'll let you proceed with your choice."

Lindsay smiled. "Thank you Mac." She reached into her pocket to grab her badge. "I've been carrying this all day. I don't have my gun; I left that at the crime lab, and no matter what I wouldn't have been able to give it back to you. I know after evacuating and everything, we lost our jobs, so you really aren't my boss anymore, but I thought you might want it back. Just promise me one thing, tell the others that I'll be okay."

Mac took the badge out of her hand. "Okay. Have a good time in Chicago, Lindsay. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," said Lindsay. "Do one thing for me; call me Paige, just once."

"Paige, I'll miss you," said Mac.

"Thank you," she said. She hugged Mac. "Good luck in Chicago too. And don't mess things up with Stella, got that? You two are perfect for each other and I don't want you two to end up like Danny and me."

"Okay," said Mac. "But what happened between you and Danny?"

"I don't know," Lindsay admitted.

"Well, goodbye Samantha," said Mac. "Goodbye, Paige."

Lindsay smiled. "Goodbye, Mac." She watched as he left and then she turned to Samantha. "So, what do we do now?"

Mac came back to join the CSI investigators and the detectives. Stella greeted him immediately. "Hey, Mac, what was that about?"

"Lindsay, she has decided to work with the FBI," he replied.

Stella frowned. "What? Why would she do that?"

"Trust me Stella, this is for her own good."

_Another secret, Lisa Cuddy had a sister. It might have been a little confusing, you would have to have watched the episode "Moving On" to know that actress Lisa Edelstein had a guest appearance on Without a Trace, and she played the part as Lianna Sardo, so that was how I got that idea. It was a really good episode, if you get the chance to see that episode, you should watch it!_

_Lindsay has now told someone new of her secret. Will she be to trust?_

_Everyone has evacuated from their old homes, escaping from Hurricane Arthur, and coming to Chicago for a new life. Mysteries have been left unsolved and secret loves have been revealed. What would become of them in the next few months? Next chapter will be set five months after everyone arrived in Chicago. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_


	29. Unexpected News

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and lily moonlight for reviewing! I am SO sorry for not updating recently. I wanted to update sooner, but I just started school this week, and last night I had to write this essay and everything, so I didn't have time to post this chapter. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Enjoy this next chapter!_

Chapter Twenty Nine: Unexpected News

5 Months Later...

_Ring, ring…_

She reached for the phone, her hands shaking. The noise of the phone got increasingly louder, and when she answered it, she could still hear the ringing in her ears. "Hello, this is Dr. Lisa Cuddy. How may I be of your assistance today?"

The person's voice on the other end was loud, as if they were shouting. "My husband, your patient, Mike Walters, how is he doing?" No, she was definitely crying.

"He's fine, he just made it out of his heart surgery," she told her. "In a few hours you should be able to visit him."

"Thank you," the woman said and then she hung up.

Cuddy put the phone back. There was still a ringing in her ears, but gradually it went away. She walked down the hallway, hoping to find a familiar face.

Her life had adjusted now; she was working at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and enjoying the city Chicago. She and House were working together, _not_ a secret to their old staff that they were dating. The only thing she hadn't gotten used to was the fact she wasn't administrator anymore. She missed her office and being House's boss; maybe she would get that position back one day.

The ringing in her ears came back again, even though there was no phone ringing. She put her hand to her ear, the sound getting louder. She saw Cameron, who also worked with her, and quickly ran over to her. "Cameron!" she called.

Cameron turned to her voice. "What is it?"

"I need to talk to you," said Cuddy.

Cameron gave her a puzzling look, but followed her anyway. She led Cameron to the clinic, quickly finding an empty room. "Cuddy, what's going on?"

Cuddy sat down in one of the chairs and put her hand on her head. "A few weeks after we came to Chicago, I started experiencing ringing in my ears and later I would get dizzy. Sometimes I would also feel pressure in my ears. I haven't told anyone of this, not even House…"

"So you have been experiencing this for almost five months?" questioned Cameron. "Why haven't you told anyone of this?"

"I don't know," replied Cuddy. "I guess I didn't want you guys to worry about me. But I've taken the hearing test to prove the diagnosis, I have a medical history on file, but all I need is an MRI, so we can rule out a tumor of the eighth cranial nerve and superior canal dehiscence, since they do cause similar symptoms."

"You're just now getting an MRI?" asked Cameron. "The doctors would have made you get an MRI by now…you've been going to a different hospital, haven't you?"

"I didn't want anyone to know of this," said Cuddy. "So, can you get the MRI now?"

"Yeah," said Cameron. She glanced at her uneasily. "Are you sure you want to do this now? You should really rest…"

Cuddy stood up. "No, I want to know if I'm sick now." She walked over to Cameron, immediately grabbing on to her arm.

Cameron looked up at her, concern in her eyes. "Cuddy, are you sure are you're all right?"

"Of course I'm not all right," Cuddy answered impatiently. "But I want the MRI." She blinked a few times, and then looked at Cameron, whose face was full of shock. "What is it?"

"Your eyes," she said.

"What about my eyes?" Cuddy questioned.

"Your eyes are moving uncontrollably," explained Cameron, "unless, of course, you're doing that yourself."

Cuddy froze. That was yet another symptom of the disease, could she really be sick? She had been avoiding that answer, thinking it would just go away, but she knew she was suffering from the disease the first time she had the symptoms. She didn't want to be sick, she would lose everything that meant so much to her, her job, the people she worked with, her normal life, House.

Her head began to throb in pain, and the room felt like it was spinning. She loosened her grip on Cameron's arm and fell down to the floor. It happened again, just like many times before. She got sick, lying helplessly on the floor. She knew Cameron was beside her, watching her in pain. She couldn't do anything, there was nothing that would make the pain go away.

The door suddenly opened, revealing a doctor they hadn't seen before. "Cuddy?" the doctor questioned. "What's going on?"

Cuddy got a glimpse of the doctor and recognized the doctor's face. Cameron was the one who said her angry thoughts. "Thirteen?" exclaimed Cameron. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here actually," replied Thirteen. "I see that I came here at the wrong time, though. I didn't know Cuddy was ill."

"Leave," Cameron demanded. "I don't tell anyone of this, you got that?"

Thirteen nodded. She left the two alone, Cuddy still lying on the floor. "You should have told someone of this sooner," Cameron said, but she knew the comment would only make things worse.

Dr. Lisa Cuddy's Office

Cuddy opened her eyes and after blinking a few times, she saw that Cameron was looking down at her. She was about to get up from the couch, but Cameron immediately stopped her. "Slowly," she told her.

Cuddy obeyed her and slowly got up from the couch. "How long have I been asleep?" she managed to ask in a weak voice.

"Six hours," said Cameron. "Don't worry about work; I'll take care of that for you. I'll drive you home tonight, and I want you to rest. And you should take a few days off."

Cuddy nodded, already knowing that she would need a few days off to rest. "The MRI," she said. "I want that MRI."

"You need to rest," said Cameron. "You can get the MRI after you have rested and are feeling better."

"I have rested," said Cuddy, walking towards the door that led outside her office.

"Not so fast," said Cameron, grabbing her arm. "I don't want you to suffer from another vertigo attack."

"I'm in a hospital," said Cuddy. "If I suffer another attack, I'll have the doctors in the room to rely on. If you just get the MRI for me, I won't nag you about it later."

Cameron sighed. "Fine, I'll get you the MRI. But you are not walking all the way down there, not after suffering from an attack. A wheelchair will have to do."

Cuddy wished she could just walk down to there, but Cameron was right. She walked outside her office—she could make it that far—and waited for Cameron to get a wheelchair for her.

MRI Room

The scan of Cuddy's head appeared on the computer screen, proving Cameron's prediction. She looked up from the screen, saying quietly, "The diagnosis has been proved right. She's sick."

When the MRI was done, she discussed the results with Cuddy. Cuddy looked worriedly at Cameron. "Were the results conclusive? Was your diagnosis right?"

Cameron only looked at her, her expression saying everything. Cameron had never been good at telling patients if they were going to die or if they were seriously ill, she would always feel bad for them, wishing she could do something to help. And by her expression, Cuddy knew what the answer would be. She was sick.

"It's Meniere's, isn't?" asked Cuddy.

Cameron slowly nodded. "The MRI ruled out a tumor of the eighth cranial nerve and superior canal dehiscence. I'm sorry, Cuddy, I know this must be hard…"

She didn't hear the rest of her words. She didn't want to hear them. She had been telling a patient the same thing only a few weeks ago, watching him become weaker, the disease taking over his life. She couldn't deal with that, experiencing tinnitus, having attacks of vertigo, feeling pressure in her ears as she gradually started to become deaf to all the sounds around her. Her life would be nothing, and worst of all, she would lose House.

Cameron was still talking. "…There are medications to deal with the attacks of vertigo, and you'll have to have low sodium diets. You'll also have to make sure that you don't have too much caffeine, which could trigger some of the symptoms of Meniere's. And you'll have to take an allergy test; if you have any allergies, some of them may trigger some of the symptoms of Meniere's as well." She paused to look at Cuddy. "Are you listening?"

"I want a vestibular neurectomy," said Cuddy.

"Surgery is the last resort," said Cameron. "That should only be done if medical management can't control the vertigo."

"I want the surgery," Cuddy repeated. "Medical management hasn't been able to control my vertigo. I can't live my life like this; I need the symptoms to go away completely."

"The symptoms may not go away completely with surgery," said Cameron. "You should wait, see how this goes."

Cuddy shook her head. "I have waited; I have seen how the disease affects me. I've tried to deal with it; I've tried the low sodium diets, the medications, and the endolymphatic sac decompression surgery. But none of those things have managed my vertigo. I saw a patient deal with this Cameron; it's not going to get any better."

"Symptoms will vary from patient to patient," explained Cameron. "You might get better. The symptoms could get worse or they could disappear all together."

"But you can't be so sure." Cuddy sighed. "I want this surgery, I need this surgery."

Cameron protested again. "You could lose your hearing," she said. "You could become deaf."

"I'll eventually become deaf with this disease," said Cuddy. "I can deal with that. I can still work here, even if I can't hear. I can learn sign language, and then I can teach you, teach the others. But vestibular neurectomy will preserve my hearing. You've got to trust me Cameron; this surgery is the best thing for me."

Cameron was finally convinced. "Okay, I'll let you get the surgery. It is your choice, after all."

"When can you get me in?" asked Cuddy.

"If the shift's good, probably tomorrow afternoon," replied Cameron. "I'm just surprised your doctors never got you in for an MRI. They should have performed that sooner…" She glanced at Cuddy, and she could tell by the look on her face that she had been lying about receiving an MRI. "You did get an MRI already, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Cuddy.

"Why get it again?"

"I was hoping that the doctors would be wrong," replied Cuddy. "I thought that maybe they screwed up, and maybe it was just a tumor that was causing these symptoms. But I guess they were right. I do have Meniere's. This was the one time that I wished that they could have been wrong."

Cameron looked at Cuddy, wishing to find words to comfort her, but she couldn't. She nodded, but for what reason, she didn't know why.

"I'm ready to go home," Cuddy said. "But can you do one thing for me Cameron?"

"Sure," said Cameron. "Anything to help."

"Can you tell House about this and about my decision?" asked Cuddy.

Cameron nodded. "I'll tell him that, I'll stop by his house tonight."

"Thank you."

Dr. Gregory House's Apartment, Nighttime

Cameron rang the doorbell, hoping House was home. The door opened almost instantly, revealing House. He immediately frowned when he saw her. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too," said Cameron. "May I come in?"

"No, you may not come in," he replied. "You can stand there and tell me why you are here."

Cameron looked down at the ground for a second and then looked back up at him. "I need to tell you something about Cuddy."

"Cuddy?" he asked.

Cameron nodded. "She's sick, House. She…"

"With what?" he demanded. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She should be all right," Cameron said, ignoring House's first question.

"But what is she sick with?"

"She has Meniere's disease."

Ever since he had admitted to liking Cuddy, he had show sensitivity towards Cuddy. He had even changed a little, being sensitive towards patient's feelings and acting a little nicer towards his peers. He still had that attitude that annoyed everyone so much, something he would never get rid of.

The look on his face was full of shock. "How long has she had it?"

"Five months," replied Cameron. "She got it shortly after we arrived in Chicago. She had been going to a different hospital, that's why none of us knew about it. But she has tried managing the disease on her own, she has tried the low sodium diets, the medications, and the endolymphatic sac decompression surgery, and none of them have worked. She has come down to the decision to get a vestibular neurectomy."

"She can't do that," said House. "I've seen one of those surgeries take place. She could lose her hearing in one ear, or two, depending on how the disease affected her; I can't let her get the surgery Cameron. It'll affect her life too much."

"This surgery will preserve her hearing," said Cameron. "Besides, the disease will affect her life more than if she couldn't hear. She can at least work her job if she's deaf; with the disease she'll more than likely be homebound, losing her job, her life, and someone will have to take care of her."

"I can take care of her," said House.

"She wouldn't want to put that responsibility on you," she said, glancing at House's injured leg. "Don't you understand that this surgery is more important than her ability to hear?"

"No," said House. "She is not getting the surgery."

"She won't lose her hearing, House!"

"She might."

Cameron put her hand on the doorknob. "It's a good thing then that you're not the one who's making the decision. I can't believe you won't support her decision. I thought you loved her."

"I don't want her…"

"I know," said Cameron. "You'd rather take care of her with a disease because then you'd know she'd have a chance of getting better on her own. You don't want her to get the surgery because you don't want her to become deaf. You don't think you could handle that, her being deaf. You'll think she has a disability, you won't think of her as the same anymore."

House opened his mouth to protest, but Cameron ignored him. She continued talking. "She has treated you with respect, I've treated you with respect; all of your friends have, for years! You've had a disability with your leg for years and no one thought of you as different, and you just became more miserable. For crying out loud, House, you sent Stacey away because you wanted to be miserable. Cuddy has dealt with that for years, I've dealt with that for years, and now, you don't want that to become of her.

"But what you don't understand is that she'll become more miserable with the disease, not becoming deaf. And the thing is House; she may not even lose her hearing. You are just so worried she will become deaf; you are the one who won't be able to deal with her having a disability. But to me, she will be the same person even if she hears or not, or even if the surgery doesn't work and she still has Meniere's."

"She can do whatever she wants," said House. "But if she comes crying to me when she thinks she has made the wrong choice, I won't led a shoulder for her to cry on."

"Goodbye House," she said, closing the door. She didn't wait for his response; she left before he could say anything else. This was Cuddy's decision, not his. And if he was more concerned about Cuddy becoming deaf rather than her getting better, then in her opinion, she didn't think Cuddy needed him.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Afternoon

ICU, Cuddy's Room

"Cuddy," a voice called as the door to her room opened. She turned to see Cameron coming in the room, with another doctor by her side. "This is Dr. Lewis. He'll be the one doing the surgery."

Cuddy nodded. She watched as the doctor stepped forward to shake her hand. "It's always hard to see one of our own have to go through something like this," he said.

Again, she just nodded. She couldn't find any words to say.

Cameron said something to the doctor, but her voice was lowered into a whisper, so Cuddy couldn't hear her. The doctor nodded to Cameron, then turned to leave the room. When he was gone, Cameron pulled up a chair, right next to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," replied Cuddy.

"Are you nervous?" asked Cameron.

"Yes," Cuddy admitted. "I guess it kind of showed, since I didn't say anything to the doctor when he came in here."

"It's normal to feel that way," said Cameron.

She nodded. "How long should the surgery take?"

"Probably around two hours," replied Cameron. She paused to look out the glass window that separated the room from the hallway. She was hoping to see House, but after what happened last night, she didn't know if he would show up.

Cuddy interrupted her thoughts. "How did it go with House last night?"

Cameron bit her lip. "Not exactly well."

Cuddy must have been surprised, because she was looking at Cameron with alarm. "What happened?"

"He didn't want you to get the surgery," explained Cameron. "He was worried you would become deaf."

"What?" Cuddy questioned. "Wait, he's worried about me becoming deaf? The surgery will preserve my hearing…" She paused. "But if I did become deaf, he would think I was disabled. He wouldn't think of me as me anymore…"

"Just because you're deaf doesn't mean you're _disabled_," said Cameron. "You can still accomplish things that any person can. I do understand why he would say that, though."

Cuddy looked up at Cameron.

"He doesn't want you to become like him," explained Cameron. "He's just worried about you. He doesn't want you to become miserable, to develop an attitude that will push all of the people you love and know away from you."

"He doesn't understand that will more likely become of me if I don't get the surgery," said Cuddy. "I'll be experiencing so much pain, that I won't be able to work my job or even get up from the couch and call you guys on the phone. I won't have much of a life, and I'll be staying home most of the time."

"The thing you don't understand," said Cameron, "is that you might not experience any pain from this disease. Like I said before, it varies from patient to patient. You could have attacks of vertigo lasting up to fours hours three times a day or you may experience them for four hours only once a week. But like you said, it is your choice. And I think the surgery is the best thing you could do."

Cuddy smiled; Cameron had been giving her a hard time about getting the surgery the night before, saying that it would be better to wait it out and see what the disease would do, but now, she seemed to agree with the decision she had made. "Thank you for understanding."

"And thank you for listening," said Cameron. "For listening to my opinion, even if you didn't like it."

Cuddy laughed. "Hey, by the way, have you seen House today?"

"No," replied Cameron. "I'm sure he'll show up. He might not support your decision, but he'll come to make sure you're all right. He does love you."

Cuddy nodded. But for some reason, she wasn't so sure he would show up. She was surprised how House had reacted to her decision, and she hoped he would come see her that day, either before her surgery or after.

Dr. Lewis reentered the room. Cameron nodded to him, and then left the room. The doctor began to prep her for surgery, explaining the whole procedure. She had already known what he was going to do; she had explained the same thing to a patient a few weeks ago. And before she came back to the hospital the other night, she had searched the internet on 'Meniere's disease'. She wanted to know as much as she could about the disease, incase she ever had to deal with another patient who had it.

She knew getting a vestibular neurectomy would preserve her hearing, but what if it didn't? She couldn't help thinking about what her life would be like without being able to hear. And now, it was hard for her to imagine her life without hearing. She wouldn't wake up to her alarm clock in the morning, telling her that work would start in an hour. She wouldn't hear the wind blowing across the streets or the noise of children playing in the park or the beeping of the cars in rush hour. She wouldn't hear Cameron's voice, Chase's voice, Foreman's voice, Wilson's voice, Kutner's voice, Taub's voice, or even the annoying Thirteen's voice. She wouldn't hear House's voice, joking around with her, telling her she wasn't doing something right or him telling her his crazy theory for why a patient was sick.

Everything would be all sign, no talking at all. She would have to read lips for the rest of her life, not knowing for sure what someone was saying. And she, herself, would begin to lose her own voice, since she wouldn't be able to hear herself speak. Talking would be difficult for her, like she was learning a new language.

Regrets were flooding over her now. She speculated on if she had made the right choice, if this surgery was really the right thing to do. She decided it was; she knew being deaf wouldn't be all that bad if she actually became deaf. It would be much better than having to deal with the symptoms of Meniere's disease.

Coming back into the world, she realized that she was in the hallway, being rolled off to the OR. Her surgery was only in a few minutes from starting, and she could feel her heart beating. The doctor must have finished explaining to her what was going to take place during the procedure fast, since she was almost in the OR. She didn't ever remember saying anything to the doctor, telling him that she understood everything that was going to take place. Maybe she had, without actually thinking about it.

As they entered the OR, she took a deep breath. She was definitely feeling nervous now, why exactly, she didn't know. This surgery would help her, but she couldn't stop thinking about what her life would be like if she was deaf. What if the doctors messed something up and she did become deaf? She tried to push those thoughts away as the doctors lifted her from her hospital bed to the operating table.

The doctor performing her surgery was standing besides her. "Do you have anything you want to say before we start the procedure?"

She wanted to say a lot of things, she wanted to tell House she loved him, she wanted to know why she had gotten sick in the first place. She wanted to say goodbye to the people she knew, she wanted them to know that she was glad to have hired them. She wanted her sister, Lianna, to be alive, and she wanted to get to know her and Lianna's other sister better.

Then she remembered someone from the night when she evacuated from New Jersey. She had met an FBI agent, whose name was Samantha Spade, the woman who had helped find her sister when she went missing. She had also met Lindsay Monroe, secretly having two different identities. She opened her mouth and whispered, "Tell Paige that I wish her good luck."

The doctors then started the procedure. They put a sedative in her IV and then gave her an anesthetic to put her out. Dr. Lewis turned to her. "Cuddy, I need you to start counting back from one hundred."

She began to count, just like the doctor ordered. "Ninety nine, ninety eight, ninety seven…"

And then she immediately felt tired. Everything around her became fuzzy, the surgical staff, the operating equipment, the ceiling above her head. And then there was darkness. The surgery had begun.

_I hope you liked it…I don't know if you ever heard of 'Meniere's disease' but you can research it if you want so you can get a little more understanding of it. Like I had mentioned before, my medical knowledge isn't the greatest, so I'm sorry if I made any mistakes on this chapter. You might have also noticed that this story is coming close to an end, well it is…but there are still two more parts of this story left, so don't worry! Next chapter of this story will be all about Mac and Stella. Yay for SMacked! _


	30. Surprises

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and lily moonlight for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Now, onto some SMacked!_

Chapter Thirty: Surprises

United Center, Chicago, Illinois

"That has to have been best basketball game I've ever seen!" Stella exclaimed as she walked out of basketball stadium.

"That was the only basketball game you've ever seen," said Mac.

"True," Stella agreed. "But don't you think it was good? Our home team won."

"Yes," replied Mac. "The game was good."

They had gone to the United Center, to watch the Chicago Bulls play against Milwaukee Bucks. Chicago had won, beating Milwaukee in a game of 95-82. It was the first basketball game she had ever seen. Her favorite basketball team had been the Chicago Bulls, so she was glad that they had won.

She glanced at Mac, who was gazing at the long expanse of the night sky. "Were you bored at that game?" she asked. "Did you just go to make me feel happy?"

Mac shook his head. "No, I've just been waiting for this part of the night." He took hold of her hand. "I have a surprise for you."

"What's the surprise?" Stella challenged, a smile forming across her face.

"If I told you, that would just spoil the surprise," said Mac.

They walked to Mac's car, hand in hand. When they got in the car, Mac told Stella to close her eyes, so she wouldn't get the slightest clue on where they were going. She smiled at him and obeyed. "Okay, my eyes are closed."

The ride wasn't that long; it only took them a matter of minutes to get there. Even though they had arrived at their destination, Mac wouldn't let her open her eyes. He just took her hand and guided her through the busy city of Chicago.

She knew they had entered inside a building, she could hear the clanking of heels of shoes on the tile floor and the opening and closing of the door behind her. They soon entered an elevator, where they must have been going to one of the top floors of the building, since the ride up seemed to take a while. When the elevator door opened, she let go of Mac's hand and ran in front of him. She still had her eyes closed, and she was thankful that she didn't knock into anyone.

"May I open my eyes now?" she asked Mac.

"Not yet," he replied.

Again, he took her hand and guided her away from the elevator. Then he let go of her hand, replacing it with a cup. "Now you may open your eyes."

Stella opened her eyes and gasped when she saw where they were. "Oh my...Mac, this is so beautiful!" She paused to look out the window. "Look! You can see the whole view of Chicago from here!"

"I knew you would like it." Mac had taken her to the Sears Tower, to the Skydeck on the hundred and third floor. She had heard of the place before, but she never imagined what the view would have been like. And now, she was there, staring at the view of Chicago.

She had been so surprised by the view that she didn't realize what was in her hand. She laughed. "Coffee," she said. "How did you know I wanted that?"

Besides her, Mac smiled. "I don't know," he joked. "It was a lucky guess."

She noticed that he also had a cup of coffee in his hand. She looked up to him. "Thanks."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

They both stared out the windows of observation deck. She could not only see the city of Chicago, she could see the country of Illinois and the large expanse of Lake Michigan. During daylight, she could imagine being able to see across Lake Michigan. But she liked the view of the city at night when she could see everything lit up and alive.

The wind howled outside, and she could feel the building sway beneath her feet. She grabbed Mac's arm. "Mac!" exclaimed Stella. "Did you feel the building move?"

"Yes," he replied. "Don't worry Stel, its normal for the building to sway. We are hundred floors from the ground…" He paused. "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Stella. "I was just unaware that the building was swaying. You know, I've never been this high up in a building before. Wait, I didn't live in Chicago before, so I've never been to the Sears Tower!"

Mac laughed. "You know, even if you were afraid of heights, I'd still love you. So, you can tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth," said Stella. "But maybe you're not telling me that you're afraid of heights." Mac didn't answer, only looked out the window. She knew he wasn't afraid of heights; he wouldn't have taken her one hundred and three floors above the ground if he was. She leaned closer to him.

"I'm sorry, Mac, I didn't mean to upset you. If you're afraid of heights, that's okay with me. We don't have to stay here..."

He turned to look at her. "No, that's not it. I was just thinking about how beautiful of a night it is. And I was thinking of how beautiful you look tonight."

Stella smiled, slightly blushing. Mac pushed the hair out of her face and leaned in to give her a kiss. He then put his arm around her.

"I love you, Mac," Stella whispered in his ear.

"I love you too Stel," said Mac.

The two turned to gaze out the window again. The view was so incredible; she thought she could stare at it all night long, with Mac by her side. They had been dating for a year now, excluding the time when they broke up for a week, during the time of her disappearance. That seemed like so long ago, even the time when they had evacuated New York seemed like it happened a long time ago. She wondered what had happened to the state, if it was back to normal, the way it was before the hurricane had come, or if it was completely washed away and destroyed.

She began to think about the past few years, about everything that she had been through with Mac. There had been the evacuation to Chicago, which had only occurred five months ago. She remembered the week before they evacuated New York, when she had been kidnapped by Luke Mala, Frankie Mala's brother. She also remembered when Mac had been receiving calls at thirty- thirty three in the morning, which they later figured out that Drew Bedford had been the one behind it all. And she remembered the time with Frankie, when he had almost killed her in her own home. She could not imagine how she would have gotten through that experience, without Mac by her side. She didn't know how she would deal without Mac.

After they had stared out at the city of Chicago for a while, Mac took Stella's hand and started to walk away. Stella had been surprised, she had to turn around quickly before Mac could walk too far and she fell to ground, letting go of his hand. She looked at him questioningly as they threw away their finished coffees and headed back to the elevator. "Why are you all of the sudden hurrying?" she asked him.

"I have another surprise for you," he replied.

They waited as the elevator reached the bottom floor, and when they stepped back outside into the warm August night, she said, "Haven't you surprised me enough tonight?"

"Well," Mac said, thinking about the night, "we first went to dinner, which you knew about, then we went to the Bulls game, which you also knew about, and then I took you to the observatory deck in the Sears Tower, which was the only thing you hadn't known about. So, I've only surprised you once tonight. Another surprise wouldn't hurt, right?"

Stella shrugged, but then got in the car. As Mac started the car, Stella said, "Since it's a surprise and you're driving me somewhere, I'm assuming I have to keep my eyes closed?"

"You've got me all figured out," replied Mac with a nod.

After another quick ride, Mac parked the car, got out of the car, opened Stella's door, and took her by the hand. Again, she was guided by Mac to their destination, and when he told her it was okay to open her eyes, she gasped. He had taken her to the beach, a place where she hadn't gone for such a long time.

"So," Mac said, "do you like it?"

She turned to look at him. "I don't like the beach, I _love_ it."

Mac smiled. They began to walk down the beach, hand in hand. Stella, who had taken off her shoes only because it was hard to walk in the sand with high heels on, decided to start a conversation. "You know, a lot has happened, with the storm and everything."

"Yeah," Mac agreed. "We've been through a lot together."

Stella looked towards the lake. Even though there was no setting sun in the sky, she still liked to see the stars shine so brightly in the night. The two were silent for a long time, enjoying the walk on the beach. But soon did the two begin to talk again.

"Stella?"

_A night full of surprises for Stella! What's gonna happen next? Don't know, I can't tell you! The next chapter will be about House, we'll see how Cuddy is doing. (But the next chapter is kinda about Cameron and Thirteen, just to let ya know) And here begins the countdown to the last few chapters! So, there are three more chapters left! But don't worry, this story is far from over!_


	31. Jealousy

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and lily moonlight for reviewing! Had to leave off on the last chapter with a cliffhanger, but you won't have to wait too long to see what happens...the next chapter will be all SMacked! Now, we are back to see how Cuddy is doing, though, this chapter is centered around Cameron and Thirteen. Enjoy!_

Chapter Thirty One: Jealousy

Room above the Operating Room, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

It was horrible, having to stare at that site. Why did it happen to Cuddy? Why couldn't that be her on the operating table, instead of Cuddy? Cuddy didn't deserve to be sick; she didn't deserve any of this.

Tears streamed down her face, she couldn't do anything but cry. She felt so bad; she wished she could have done something to prevent Cuddy from getting sick. If she had gotten a family history, maybe she could have predicted that Cuddy would get Meniere's disease. There were so many things she could have done, but she hadn't paid close enough attention.

Someone behind her put their hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see it was Chase. "What do you want?" she asked him rudely.

"Well, I was here to watch Cuddy's surgery," he replied. "It seems like you want me to leave, though."

"I don't want you to leave," she said. "I'm…I'm just so aggravated with myself."

"Why are you aggravated with yourself?" asked Chase.

"Don't you see?" she asked him. "Don't you see what we could have done to prevent this? I work with Cuddy; I should have known she had Meniere's disease! This is my fault!"

"None of this is your fault, Cameron," Chase said comfortingly. "You would have never known Cuddy would have gotten this disease. Both of her parents are deceased and she has no brothers or sisters. And we don't know any of her aunts or uncles, so even if you tried to get a family history, there would be no way of knowing she would get Meniere's."

"I understand that," said Cameron. "But there's still a part of me that says I could have done _something_."

Chase put his arms around her waist. "You are doing _something, _right now. You're accompanying Cuddy through her surgery. And I'll stay here too."

Cameron smiled. "Thanks Chase, for staying with me."

"I don't think we'll be alone," said Chase.

After his comment, the door opened to reveal Foreman, Kutner, Taub, and Wilson. Everyone was here to watch Cuddy's surgery. They were all accompanying her through her surgery. Cameron glanced at the group again and realized that not everyone was there. Thirteen wasn't in sight, but she could care less, she didn't want to see her again, after seeing her in the clinic the day before. House was the other missing person, which seemed surprising, because he loved Cuddy, and she thought he would want to be here to watch her.

Well, he had loved her. She remembered Cuddy had said, "If I did become deaf, he would think I was disabled. He wouldn't think of me as me anymore." Did House really think Cuddy would become disabled when she couldn't hear anything anymore? Did he not show up because he didn't believe in the surgery?

She had reassured Cuddy that wasn't the reason, but now, she started to doubt her own reassurance. _He would show up later, _she told herself. _He will show up later._

Suddenly, the door opened again, and she turned around, hoping to see House appear through the door. The doctors were surprised to see who came through the door, especially when they had thought she hadn't come to Chicago. Cameron frowned when she realized it wasn't him. "Thirteen? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to watch Cuddy's surgery," replied Thirteen. "Why else would I come here?"

"No, you're not here for that," Cameron spat back at her. "You're here to take advantage of Cuddy. I know that was your plan all along."

"How could I take advantage of Cuddy?" questioned Thirteen. "Why would I do that to her, especially when she's facing the chance of becoming deaf?"

"She won't become deaf," said Cameron. "This surgery will prevent that from happening. But I'm not letting you watch her surgery. You don't deserve to be here."

"Cameron," Chase warned.

She signaled him to be quiet with the wave of her hand. "Come on Thirteen. I need to talk to you." She led her out the door, down the hallway, far away from the OR. She immediately began to yell. "What's your problem? Why can't you just leave her alone?"

"What are you talking about?" questioned Thirteen.

"I'm tired of you answering me with questions!" exclaimed Cameron. "You know what I'm talking about! Why are you here in Chicago? What do you have against Cuddy?"

"I have nothing against Cuddy," retorted Thirteen. "But I see where this is going. You're going to tell me to leave, to get out of sight, just like yesterday. Maybe I'm concerned about Cuddy!"

"You used 'maybe'," said Cameron. "That means you don't care about her! You want her position as administrator, that's what you've been competing with her! You knew this evacuating New Jersey thing would make us lose our old jobs, so you thought coming to Chicago would be a good idea, and you thought you would be able to torture Cuddy so much that if she ever got the position as administrator, she would give it to you! But now, with Cuddy being sick, you see this as your chance to steal the position, because you think Cuddy will never get a chance as working as a doctor anymore! You think she'll become disabled, just like House!

"Well, you know what? Just because she has a chance of becoming deaf and may become deaf, doesn't mean she's not capable of anything! And just because she has this disease doesn't mean she can't still work her job! She can still be a doctor, a great one in that fact. She won't lose any of her knowledge! She'll still be able to get that position as administrator!"

"That's not what I think at all!" exclaimed Thirteen.

"Then what is it that you think?" questioned Cameron.

Thirteen glanced uneasily at her, but didn't answer the question. Cameron understood what she was trying to tell her, the answer had been staring her in the face for all this time!

"It was so obvious," said Cameron, shaking her head. "I should have known. You were competing for House with her! You wanted him to love you. You didn't like seeing the two together, or even talking to each other for that fact."

"That's it," said Thirteen. "That's exactly what I think."

"Well, you're pretty insensitive then," said Cameron. "Did you ever think about how House felt about Cuddy? He loved her too, if you didn't notice that."

"I know," said Thirteen. "But you don't understand it all. You don't know how I felt when I saw those two together."

"Didn't know how you felt?" questioned Cameron. "Jealousy, that's exactly what you felt. And I know that feeling. I experienced that feeling. I loved House too, but he didn't ever come to think about me, he never loved me. He took me on one date, and told me that the only reason I loved him was because I needed him.

"I needed to feel some else's pain, just like I did when I married my husband, when he died of cancer. And then Stacey, his ex-wife, came to work at the hospital, and that's when I knew he wouldn't ever love me back. She's gone now, if you wanted to know. But I support that Cuddy and House are together. They've always had a connection; they've always understood each other. But I would never want to see you with him; you two would never belong together.'

"I'm sorry you feel jealous," Cameron continued. "But you should respect that they are in love. You shouldn't take House away from Cuddy. That's all she'll have when she's done with that surgery."

Thirteen opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She looked down at the ground, and then at Cameron. She slowly nodded.

"So I guess that's how I felt. I guess I didn't understand everything. But I'll do you the favor and leave. Tell her that I'm sorry." She turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Cameron called.

Thirteen turned around.

"It would be insensitive of me if I didn't let you watch Cuddy's surgery," said Cameron. "You did know her after all, even if you were jealous of her. Can you promise me that you won't take advantage of her?"

Thirteen nodded. They walked back over to the OR, entering the room they had been in earlier. Cameron walked back over to Chase and greeted him with a hug. She turned to look at the surgical staff, working so diligently. She glanced at Thirteen, who stayed away from the group, by herself. She had finally gotten Thirteen to break; she had finally found the answers she had been looking for.

_Cameron has finally gotten Thirteen to break. Thirteen was feeling a little jealous..._

_The countdown continues: TWO more chapters left until the end..._


	32. Just Another One of Mac's Surprises

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever, crazypeoplearemypeople, lily moonlight, and StoryDreamer for reviewing! _

Chapter Thirty Two: Just Another One of Mac's Surprises

The Beach of Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois

Stella turned to look at him. "What is it Mac?"

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "And Mac, I love you too."

"You know how everyone said that we've always had a connection?" he asked.

Stella nodded. She remembered how Danny, Flack, Hawkes, and Lindsay would say that she and Mac always got along and that nothing would break them apart. Even Aiden Burn, who had once worked as an investigator for the NYPD, had said the two had connected. And they had never had anything break them apart. Even though they had had their arguments, especially the night before she had gone missing several months ago, they still loved each other and would always forgive each other. Many people would probably say they were 'the perfect couple'.

She listened as Mac began to talk again. "I've always believed in that Stel, I've always known that one day, we'd find out true love for each other and that we would let nothing break us apart." He held on to her hand as he knelt down in front of her. Stella's heart raced as she saw what happened next.

"Stella, you've always made me happy and here, I'm looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. There isn't any other woman in the world that I'd want to be with." He stopped to reach his hand in his pocket to then pull out a little box. When he opened the box, Stella gasped.

"I love you Stella, and I want to be with you forever." He looked up into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Tears had formed in her eyes, but they weren't of sadness, but of happiness. She could barely form the words as she spoke. "Another one of your surprises, huh?" She nodded. "Yes, Mac, of course I will marry you."

As Stella smiled, Mac smiled even more. He took the ring from the little box and slipped it on to her finger. She took a look at the ring that was now on her finger, the diamond sparkling ever so brilliantly in the moonlight, and then she took Mac in a hug. After everything they had been through, they were finally together. She couldn't imagine living life without Mac, and now, they would soon get married and start a family, just as she had always wanted.

"I love you Mac," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you too Stel," he said. "I love you too."

The two watched the waves hit gently on the shore. They were quiet for the rest of the time they were at the beach, enjoying the peaceful night Chicago had brought to them. And when they had finally left the beach, they were still quiet, walking to the car hand in hand. It had been the most beautiful night the two had seen, and now, they would see many more beautiful nights like tonight, together.

_Very short chapter, I hope you liked it! Now if only this could happen on the show...well, one more chapter on the way, it's about House, I'm sure you would have guessed it...but don't worry, this story is far from over..._


	33. Wake Up and Nothing

_Thanks to iluvcsi4ever and crazypeoplearemypeople for reviewing! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Hope you'll enjoy the last chapter of the story!_

Chapter Thirty Three: Wake Up and…Nothing

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

ICU, Cuddy's Room

Cuddy awoke in her hospital bed. But it wasn't like how she woke up the previous day, or the day before yesterday. Nothing had awakened her. She just opened her eyes and then…nothing. Everything was silent, she couldn't hear anything.

Cameron was sitting beside her, with her eyes closed. She could have been snoring, she could have been breathing loudly, but she couldn't hear it. As a matter of fact, she couldn't hear her own breathing. Was she breathing? Was she holding her breath? Was she dying?

She sat up and looked around the room. She had to be breathing; her heart monitor read that her heart rate was normal. But she couldn't even hear the slightest beeping of the machine. It was time to face the truth. She was deaf.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Why had it happened? How come a part of her still knew that this was going to happen? She lay back down in her bed.

Cameron awoke beside. Her eyes were wide when she saw that Cuddy was awake and she opened her mouth in the manner of a surprised gasp. She turned around, and Cuddy imagined she was saying, "She's awake!"

Chase emerged from behind Cameron. It was obvious that he would stay here; he would always stay with Cameron, even if he wished to do something else. She also saw Foreman and Wilson, along with two of the members of House's new staff, Kutner and Taub. She thought she could even see Thirteen, outside of her room, glancing through the window. She wondered why she even bothered to come, Thirteen hated her guts, but for what reason, she didn't know.

There was one person that was still missing, the person who hadn't supported her decision for her surgery. And that one person went by the name of House.

She wanted to know why he hadn't come; she wanted him to be here. She tried to ask Cameron, "Where's House?", but without being able to hear her own voice, she didn't know if she'd even asked that question. She could have really asked, "Where am I?", or "Where's Lianna, my sister that died, who you never knew about?" But she knew she couldn't ask a question or even express a complete thought if she couldn't hear herself say anything.

She desperately wanted to know, so she tried asking again, even if she couldn't hear herself speak. "Where's House?" she cried out. "I want to see him!"

As if in a reply, the door opened to reveal House, limping over to her hospital bed. He had come to see her! He hadn't given up hope on her!

* * *

"Cuddy!" exclaimed House. "Thank God you're all right!"

Cameron glanced at him uneasily, knowing that something was different about Cuddy. The surgery hadn't preserved her hearing like it should have. "House, there's something I should tell you…"

House ignored her comment. He limped over to Cuddy's bedside and took her hand. "I'm not letting you get that surgery, no, you may face the chance of becoming deaf. You wouldn't want to face that, trust me. I'll take care of you, and I'll do everything to help you get through this disease. Just please, don't get that surgery.

"You don't want that. I don't want that. I don't want you to become like me, to become miserable with life."

Cameron stared at him in shock. He had finally admitted for the first time that he was miserable, what else would he say about himself? She saw that Cuddy was staring at him with a puzzled look, and she knew why she was. She couldn't hear him. She hadn't heard a single word he had said.

She took a deep breath. She had to tell him the truth, even though she knew he wouldn't be happy with it. "House, you've got to listen to me," she said. "I have to tell you something about Cuddy."

He turned to look at her, with worry in his eyes. "What's wrong? What happened to Cuddy?"

"She already had the surgery," Cameron explained. "She…she can't hear you."

"You said this surgery would preserve her hearing!" exclaimed House.

Cameron bit her lip. In most cases, the surgery would preserve a person's hearing, but for Cuddy, it hadn't. She said, "I guess it didn't."

* * *

House turned to look at her. Cuddy knew he had just figured out the truth, the truth that she was deaf. She wanted so badly to tell him it wasn't true, to lean close to him and whisper into his ear, "That isn't true. The others are lying. You were right. The surgery was the wrong thing to do, so I decided to call it off."

But she couldn't tell him that, she couldn't even talk. With tears rolling down her face, she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," to House.

And then he left the room.

_Dun dun dun…the end. Yes, that's what I said. This is the end of this story. But, we still have two more parts to get through! So don't think of this as the end, but as a new beginning! Look out for Rising Storm, Part Two: The Coming of "The Day after Tomorrow". Hope you enjoyed this story! __Thanks to my lovely reviewers: __iluvcsi4ever, __StoryDreamer, __Asprine, __crazypeoplearemypeople, __lily moonlight, and __Wizard-in-Disguise. __Thanks to all who put this story on their Story Alerts and Favorite Stories lists! Thanks so much for all the support!_


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